


Signs of the Pack

by Ladyhawk_lhflu



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Pack Dynamics, Pack Family, Post Hogwarts AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-03-26 13:24:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 32,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13858659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladyhawk_lhflu/pseuds/Ladyhawk_lhflu
Summary: Sometimes those who love you do what's best for you, whether you like it or not. Even if what's best for you is to make you a leader behind your back.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been playing with some 'pack' ideas for a couple months now. I've read a lot of 'Remus and pack' fics (of various pairings), and none of them quite cut it for me, because Rem had to change to fit the pack. What if the pack fit him?  
> Note: this has become less of a romance (my usual) and more of a mystery story. But I promise that the mates will have moments in between all the investigating.

I pushed the supermarket cart through the aisles, mentally counting my money as I pulled a few things off the shelf. I would have enough to get my three year old son the ice cream he wanted, but I'd have to wait to get the roast until after my next payday.

My son Teddy grabbed at a cereal box. Almost immediately, I put it back. "No, we have cereal at home." I kissed the young metamorphagus on the forehead to distract him before he could cry.

Luckily, that seemed to work. So I began to relax and went back to perusing the shelves. Then all of a sudden, my leg was grabbed by two little arms.

I looked down to see tousled black hair leaning against my leg. Startled, I reached down to touch the shoulder of what looked to be a small boy. "Hello there," I said gently, thinking he mistook me for his father.

"Hi, Alpha." The boy whispered as he looked up with sad, dark eyes. He appeared to be around Teddy's age. But the bleakness in his eyes spoke of someone who already had aged due to some type of tragedy. Those eyes spoke to me in a way similar to magic did when I allowed myself to cast spells.

But his words took me aback. Calling me Alpha meant the boy was addressing the wolf inside me. Only werewolves and their mates dared to address the wolf directly.

My mind tried to understand that puzzle. I didn't know of any werewolves that had been created at such a young age (and survived, blast it, Greyback!), other than myself. But one sniff confirmed my suspicion that the child wrapped around my leg was canine. That warranted further investigation.

I was bending down to get a better look at the child when a young woman came up to us.

"Oh, thank goodness!" she exclaimed. "I was hoping this would be easy. He's going to be adopted soon. But the man taking him in wanted to be sure who Barrett's alpha was before he did."

She rattled that off then took a breath quickly. "Hi, I'm Ariela Zance from Wizarding Child Services. And this is Barrett Schiff. He's one of your pack, Mr. Lupin."

"But I don't have a pack," I muttered softly, trying to keep the attention of the other supermarket patrons away from us. It wouldn't do for the muggles around us to find out that some of their horror films were partially true.

I was shocked that the woman had come looking for me at the supermarket. Talking about wizardry here was a Ministry violation in waiting. But I wasn't surprised that she knew who or what I was. My picture had been in the Daily Prophet for months after the Battle of Hogwarts, because of my part in the war.

"Mr. Longbottom believed that you would say that," Ms. Zance smiled. "It doesn't matter, as long as Barrett accepts you as alpha."

Without thinking, I reached down to run my hand over Barrett's dark hair. At my touch, the child looked up at me with adoringly, as if his alpha had given him a great gift.

Maybe I had. Apparently, my identification was the last block in his adoption.

But then the name of his to-be father finally registered with me. Longbottom was a rare name in the wizarding world. I only knew of one who still lived. So I asked. "Is Neville adopting him?"

Ms. Zance nodded. "He was adamant. It was almost as if he wanted to adopt Barrett *because* he was a werewolf." She shrugged, clearly mystified by that idea.

Her careless statement made my anger flare. Lycanthropes were as worthy of having families as other wizards, but we always had to work harder to prove it. We were so often seen as a burden, simply because our condition created difficulties one night a month.

I held my tongue as I watched my son reach down to show the other boy his action figure. Teddy had no fear of werewolves. He had been with me a few times during the transformation when Harry couldn't watch him due to Auror training. My child had been content to pull my tail and ears, then sleep on my back while I had curled by the fire. He had been so easy around me that I feared that he'd come to pet me even if I wasn't on Wolfsbane.

Then it occurred to me that little Barrett wouldn't be using the potion. Worriedly, I pulled the child worker and children into a quiet corner and quickly cast a muffling spell. "How is Neville supposed to care for him during the full moon? This child is too young for aconite."

Ms. Zance sped through an explanation once again. "That's why it was necessary to identify his pack. Mr. Longbottom wanted the alpha's help in creating a safe place for Barrett during the moon. I'd suggest you talk to Mr. Longbottom soon. We're rushing the adoption to make sure Barrett has a legal father before he transforms again. This is only his second moon. The first was extremely frightening for both him and the workers at the orphanage."

I swore softly. "What happened to his parents?"

"They were mauled and drowned in the stream just beyond their backyard. The Aurors declared it an accident, as there have been minx and polecats in that area. Mr. Longbottom doesn't agree. Once Barrett is his, he is determined to appeal to the Wizengamot for a murder investigation."

I looked down at the sad child and understood why he was trying to reach out to me. He had lost everyone he knew. "Does Neville suspect that they were murdered by a werewolf?"

Ms. Zance shook her head. "*They* were the werewolves. An accident with the wards in their backyard had allowed Barrett's mother to attack him a few days earlier, during the full moon. The child survived due to the babysitter's quick thinking. "

"They couldn't afford Wolfsbane." I stated, without hint of question in my voice or mind. No wolf with a child would put the young one at risk otherwise. I stroked Barrett's hair again. Teddy leaned into me and darkened his hair to match the other boy's.

"No. Though I have heard that Mr. Prince is negotiating with the Ministry to try to fix that problem." Ms. Zance looked proud, as if she had convinced the venerable potions maker herself.

I smiled, knowing better. Severus was saving people from themselves again.

But I spared him only a moment's thought before turning back to Ms. Zance. "Have Neville contact me when the adoption is finished. We won't have much time to plan for the moon."

Then I said a soft goodbye to the dark haired child. It was time to head home. I didn't know how Barrett came to the conclusion that I was his alpha. But if he was going to put his trust in me to guide him through the full moon, I was going to make sure he got exactly what he needed.


	2. Chapter 2

I walked home with Teddy to our flat in the muggle area near Diagon Alley in a contemplative mood. My son, too, had been affected by the event in the supermarket. He kept his hair dark like the young werewolf's until we reached the front door. There, he changed it to the color of the roses that our neighbor Daryl Richards was pruning. Before I had a chance to unlock the door, Daryl looked up and waved.

"Hi Remus, and hello there Teddy." The muggle man came up to us and handed Teddy one of the roses.

Teddy squealed happily, but didn't thank Daryl until I reminded him to do so. Once he did, I let go of his hand and opened our door so he could put the rose inside. I watched him lay it carefully next to the picture of his mother. Dora had loved roses. But once his little ritual was complete, he was quickly out the door again. Seconds later, he was asking if he could play with Daryl's ten year old son, Stevie.

"Yes, until dinnertime," I said once Daryl nodded in my direction.

I watched Teddy run through the yard to find his friend. When I looked back at Daryl, he was holding out a cup of tea to me. "Come, sit."

I took the tea gratefully. "Thank you." But I hesitated to sit in the chair on his back porch.

It wasn't because of Daryl, not exactly. My neighbor was a very nice man. He worked as an accountant, kept the gardens in his yard growing, and chatted often with the people around him. But he and his son must have had an illness that they were unaware of. Because they smelled awful. I could barely deal with being near them most of the time. A few days before the full moon, it became impossible to bear. If Daryl offered tea on those days, I refused as quickly, but also as politely, as I could.

But how could you not like a man who sent you soup on the days you looked like death warmed over? Or one who never commented on your son's ever changing hair?

I had a lot of respect for a man like that. So I sat on the porch and turned my nose to the breeze.

Daryl and I chatted about the boys for awhile before the other man's pants started ringing.

"Sorry, that must be work." My neighbor fished his cell phone out of his pocket to answer it.

I turned to watch our children so Daryl could have some semblance of privacy. Teddy and Stevie were playing with Stevie's newest Lego set. I smiled as I watched the older boy show my child how to secure some pieces together. Daryl's son was a very good teacher, even at so young an age.

But the one-sided conversation next to me was hard to ignore. What did 'not in the dark forest' and 'drowning in the muck' mean to an accountancy firm? The only thing Daryl said into his phone that made any sense to me was 'what the boss says is final' .

After that sentence, he finally closed the phone and turned back to me. "Work is unbearable this time of year. They want me to send new employees out to Scotland to see to some companies there."

"New people? I thought your firm had been serving those companies for almost 100 years."

Daryl gaped at my tendency to remember small details from our previous conversations. But since it wasn't the first time, he recovered rather quickly. "Your memory is frightening at times. Yes, some of them probably have been with us longer than that."

"Well, then, they should be served by familiar faces. Those companies provide you stability. Send the new people to recruit the new companies."

"I'll recommend that at tomorrow's meeting." Daryl stood up to get us both another cup of tea when a yell came from the fence near my flat.

"Hello!"

I turned to see Neville Longbottom standing at the fence. He was holding Barrett, the young werewolf I met earlier, in his arms.

"Hello, Mr. Neville!" Stevie called cheerfully from his spot at the picnic table. But his face went from a smile to fear in an instant when his father glared at him.

I waved to Neville, but my attention was caught by Daryl's son. Why was he so scared? And how did he know my mate's name? Had Neville come to talk to my muggle neighbors before?

He must have, because he looked rather concerned as my neighbor angrily stomped off the porch.

Neville shook his head as Daryl started towards his son. "Daryl, don't scold Stevie. We need to tell him. There's been another incident."


	3. Chapter 3

I became quickly lost in thought as I watched my mate approach me. As he moved gracefully through the yard, I wondered at how unaware he was of being a large part of my world. The memories of our shared past, all those innocuous events that meant so much to me, assailed me as he came closer.

==

_The first time I met Neville, the wolf inside me was actually polite. Moony simply knocked me on the back of the knees as Neville approached the Boggart closet in our first class together._

_Although it was a figurative hit, it made me stagger as if it were real. Because I distinctly heard Moony say 'mate'. But that was impossible. My mate had just escaped from Azkaban and was apparently heading for the school. And werewolves don't give up mates, no matter what type of person they become. So how did I get a second one?_

_I couldn't figure out how it happened, but I could tell this mate was different. He was to be a friend, someone to watch over...for now at least. Neville, the son of my former dormmate, was too young and too skittish to be anything more for many years._

_So I took a deep breath as he looked uneasily at the Boggart, and helped him gain some confidence._

_Moony was very pleased with both of us._

==

Behind Neville, a darker figure approached. This man was one on whom I depended. Somehow, in some ways, we had become grudging friends, even after he attempted to destroy the trust everyone had in me.

My trust in him didn't waver because of the past. Nor did it shift while I watched him, when he didn't even look at my front door as he approached the corner of the street. He just moved the smoking bag that he was holding into his other hand so he could open Daryl's gate.

I simply assumed he knew where I was. Because Severus Snape, otherwise known as the potions master Mr. Prince, was nothing if not exact.

===

_The wolf was not always calm during the years it waited. In fact, it howled and bit at me when I married Tonks. This time, it wasn't just figurative or mental. I bore a few more scars after that July moon, even with the best Wolfsbane anyone could get._

_It took years for Severus to forgive me for that._

_But I loved Dora, I truly did._

_The world we lived in and the magic it held would not let our love last, no matter how strong it was. For how could that love be normal? She was a substitute for two other people. That fact doomed our relationship as much as the growing darkness in the wizarding world._

_Voldemort was rising. Sirius was gone. Neville was still too young to be more to me than student or friend. And Dora had fallen for me despite my attempts to discourage her. How could I refuse somebody who saw me as human first, much as my best friends had?_

_So I married her, before the struggle for normalcy claimed every last good feeling we had. I watched over her and our growing child within her. It didn't lessen my depression, but it gave both of us some hope that there'd be an end to the bleakness._

_Because of my struggles, I tried to forget Neville for a time. Albus and Minerva were protecting him. He was safe at Hogwarts._

_Or so I thought. I had very little knowledge of the students' organization after Harry left the school, until the Order was called to battle. Maybe Dora was trying to make my life a little easier by not telling me much. She knew I worried incessantly about Harry._

_It was just as well. If I had known what Neville was up to, I most likely would have vacillated regularly between being extremely proud and being driven out of my mind with fear._

_Because he was away from me, I was saved from the struggle between the wolf and myself when Neville came of age. Neville turned 17 just as the war was breaking out. If our mating and circumstances had been average, I would have rushed to his side on his 17th birthday. But Moony would not leave a developing pup, no matter how much his mate called to him._

_The situation didn't destroy everything between my mate and I, however. Even with the distance and our separate preoccupations, that connection between us was still there. I am grateful it survived so well. Because it saved my life._

==

Neville took Barrett over to where the boys sat at the picnic table. I could see him introducing the shy boy to the others and encouraging Barrett to try the strange toys they were playing with. He radiated calm understanding as he listened to Stevie explain how the blocks worked. Then my pride bounced as that confidence that had eluded him in his youth came to the forefront when he demonstrated the toy to Barrett.

Oh, how my mate had grown. My only regret was that it took a war to make the growth permanent. But when it came, it was a triumph.  My second mate seemed very prone to unexpected glorious victories.

==

_Of course I went into battle when the rest of the Order did, though I tried to convince Dora to stay behind with Teddy. They were the only hope I had for the future at that moment. I had blocked out my connection with Neville completely, for my own sanity._

_And I thought he had no knowledge of the magic between us. But what happened when Doholov cursed me negated that idea, even for someone as resistant to the wolf as I was._

_My depression and the lengths I went to protect my family dragged on me as I fought the Death Eaters in the Great Hall. So much so that I was completely unprepared when Doholov threw a Killing Curse at me. I had less than a second to realize that I was about to die as the green light shot towards me. But in that very short amount of time, Moony pulled energy from my mate and saved my life._

_Neville was in another part of the school attacking the Death Eaters with plants, but when he heard Moony's cry for help, he temporarily gave all his magic to the wolf. I heard Moony's appeal to our mate, I felt the flood of magic fill me. Then the impossible happened._

_Moony disapparated me quicker than I could think, sending me to the place on the Hogwarts grounds that he knew best. I went from feeling the Killing Curse barely reach my shoulder to falling to the floor of the Shrieking Shack in less than a blink of an eye._

_With that gift to his mate, Neville saved not one, but two lives. Severus Snape was dying from Nagini's bite when I arrived in the Shack. So being the 'infernal Gryffindor' that I was, I immediately crawled to his side. Digging through his robes, I found the antivenom potions that I knew would be there._

_I poured them down his throat with trembling hands, not stopping until his green skin turned back to the sallow that was his hallmark. I owed him that. He may have given Harry his memories, but I was the only one who knew he helped Andromeda set the wards on her house the night before, to keep my son safe._

_Just dosing Severus with potions exhausted the last of the energy I had. So we lay there in our physical anguish until my mate found us a few hours later, triumphant from killing Nagini. Neither of us could lift so much as a finger to help Neville take us to the makeshift infirmary. But we were alive._

==

I was so lost in my memories of the past that I wasn't aware of when Severus and Neville came onto the porch. I only knew they were there when I heard a clink of bottles as Severus set his bag on the small table next to me.

I stared at the bag with the Wolfsbane bottles for a moment in confusion. I had been so lost in my musings that I was having difficulty returning to the present. So, looking for some help, I turned my head to locate my mate.

I was shocked to find Neville kneeling on the porch by my foot. But before I could question him about it, he bowed his head and spoke one word.

"Alpha."


	4. Chapter 4

My shock and worry grew at the sound of Neville's appeal to me as Alpha, so similar to Barrett's. If Neville had found out that I was his mate, it was possible that he would supplicate himself to the wolf. Mates sometimes do that naturally. But the only wolves called Alpha were heads of packs. I was not part of a pack, so how could I be the head of one?

I shook my head. "Neville, please get up." I looked to Daryl, trying to explain to my muggle friend. "...I'm not..."

"But you are," Neville said softly, as he bent his head further down and rested it against my knee.

Although the action seemed like innocuous touching of one's mate, it became more once it exposed his neck. What I saw symbolized there nearly put me in a panic.

On the back of his neck, right where Moony would put his mark, was a magical tattoo. The sketch was of a moon with three claw slashes through it. One of the slashes angled downward as if it had been dragged down a cheek, like the one I stared at every day since my fifth birthday. As I watched, those slashes turned into the three letters that graced my old briefcase, then fell back into place across the moon.

I shakily traced the tattoo. Neville had been hiding things from me. He not only knew the secret I held so dear, he celebrated it! "I'm sorry...I should have told you..."

My mate raised his head and smiled up at me calmly. "I needed to grow up. You needed to mourn your wife. I'm just sorry that we don't have much time to let you adjust."

"Adjust to what?" Puzzlement replaced shock as I watched his face turn troubled.

A second later, two arms were thrust in front of me. Both of them bore an outline of a moon with my claw slashes through it.

I nearly fell backwards at seeing them. For one of the tattoos bore the impression of a watch band made by the gold Rolex that Daryl never took off, and the other was used to cover up the fading presence of a Dark Mark.

====

I stared up at Severus and Daryl in confusion, It was difficult to understand exactly what they were showing me. Three very similar tattoos, with one bearing my initials. Together, they were signs, indications of something...

"What are you all a part of?" I whispered, beginning to hyperventilate a bit. My mind suddenly started apparating around. Incidents, hidden people, hidden symbols...Quickly, my mind flitted to three years past. I found myself trying to tamp down my fear that something like the Order of the Phoenix was needed once again.

Neville's expression became more concerned as I trembled. "Hey, breathe." He grabbed my hands tightly. But the panic would not leave me.

I had known for the past couple years that I had a mild case of Spell Shock. Almost dying in a duel resulted in me having nightmares most nights. But I had never been this scared before during the day. I never had reason to until now. What was going on here?!

Neville clutched my hands tighter, trying to contain their shaking. But I could barely draw a breath. My fears, rather than being comforted by my mate, grew exponentially.

Finally, Neville turned his head toward Daryl. "Maybe you should drop the charm."

Daryl nodded and pulled a wand out of a holster hidden under the back of his shirt. With a quick flick, he muttered a spell over himself, then waved the wand at his son and repeated the word that I couldn't quite make out.

Once the spells were completed, the smell that had pervaded them both dissipated. In its place was a scent that was much more familiar.

 _Werewolf!_  


	5. Chapter 5

As soon as I smelled the other wolf near me, I found myself growling at him. But Daryl watched me calmly, unfazed by my reaction.

My other friend was not so calm. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Severus quickly backing away. Fear was flashing in his eyes. He had nearly been attacked by Moony twice. I knew he wanted to avoid a third encounter.

Oddly, Severus' fear settled Moony slightly. After a moment, I could turn my head to look at Neville. Finally, finally, the calm in his eyes began to sink into me. He smiled as he felt me relax a little.

The wolf was in control for this moment, however. I did not completely relax until Daryl bowed before me. "We are here for you, Alpha."

Hearing that word again brought back my confusion. So I voiced the question that was beginning to haunt me. "Why is everyone calling me Alpha?"

Neville reached up to stroke the scar on my right cheek. "Have you ever heard of a Born Alpha?"

I shook my head. "I've read all I could find on lycanthropes, but I've never heard that term before."

"The legend of the Born Alphas has been held closely to the packs. It is considered a sacred secret." Daryl said as he leaned against the porch railing. "It's not surprising that you haven't come across it."

Severus coughed, suddenly looking uncharacteristically contrite. "I may have also hidden the one book I found in Hogwarts that had the term in it."

Daryl's eyes flashed amber as he glared at Severus. The spell that hid his scent must have also made his eyes appear one color, because this was the first time I saw them change. Their shift in color was swift and explosive. It was obvious that Daryl's wolf was angry. "Why would you do such a thing?" my neighbor rumbled.

"You may serve him, but you don't know him like I do." Severus snapped, oddly not afraid of Daryl's wolf. "If he had found out that he was a Born Alpha on his own, he would have destroyed himself, out of fear of doing harm. He has been taught so much about guilt that he cannot see past it."

He raised his hands as Daryl angrily shoved a finger at him. "Yes, I added to his guilt. I admit it. But I am by no means the worst of the people who had accused him of being burdensome."

I watched this exchange as if I was watching a bludger being tossed between two strong beaters. But soon, my puzzlement began to turn to anger, and my frustration grew. "What am I?!" I exclaimed loudly when the two men continued to give each other hostile looks. My yell was sharp enough to scare the three boys out in the yard.

"You are a leader...by example." Daryl said after he took a deep breath to calm his wolf.

Our boys were not as easily placated as the being inside my neighbor. Stevie ran up to the porch, looking fearfully at me. Daryl sighed as he ruffled Stevie's hair and continued explaining. "Many Born Alphas never find out they actually have a pack."

"What? How is that possible?" My confusion grew as I picked up a sandy haired Teddy from where he skidded onto the porch in an effort to defend me. I put him on my lap with an absentminded peck on his cheek.

Neville picked up the explanation as he gently pulled Barrett into the group from where the boy had stopped nervously near the porch steps. "A Born Alpha is not actually born a leader, as nobody is ever a werewolf from birth. But after they are bitten, something in the character of that person combines with the wolf to create an aura that has others naturally wanting to follow them. There are many who say that aura is created the minute the wolf forms."

"So the term is inexact, but figuratively correct." Severus complained.

Neville and Daryl ignored him as Daryl picked up the conversation again. "Once the Born Alpha is identified, those who admire the Alpha tend to form packs around him or her. They are both support for Alpha and for the admirers. Knowledge of the pack's existence is often kept from the admired one due to their nature. Many Born Alphas are self-effacing, like yourself. Some of them have committed suicide because they fear harming their followers, as Mr. Prince said earlier. That may be one of the reasons the curse allows them second mates. The extra support helps their chances of survival."

Daryl hugged Stevie close. "But for the admirers, serving the Born Alpha is a treasured privilege. We learn so much from them. It is said that the way the Born Alpha lives will dictate the size of their pack. Better role models naturally create bigger packs."

I took a deep breath. I was responsible for a group of werewolves who sought to learn from me. Part of me wanted to run away and hide. But I couldn't. These people believed that my worry for them could harm me. So they must need something desperately if they dared to reveal themselves. But I needed to know one more thing before I decided if I could help them. I looked to Severus, my honest enemy and friend. "How big is the pack?"

"At last count, 60 percent of the werewolves in Britain, 30 percent in the European Union, and there have been a handful of sightings of your mark in Australia, China and Brazil." Severus said this slowly so he could move out of the way of Neville, who held my hand tightly as I took that in.

Suddenly, the world around me greyed out. Panic set in. How could I be a good enough role model for all those people?!


	6. Chapter 6

A glass of water was thrust into my hand as I struggled to breathe. "Get it together, Lupin. Your pack needs you."

Severus' matter of fact tone brought me out of my haze faster than any comfort could.

"How...how did I get so many people so quickly?" I took a deep breath and worked on calming down. I even pushed Neville's hand away. My moment of self indulgence was over. Now I had to help the people who looked up to me.

I focused on Daryl, who seemed to be waiting for something. He must have seen what he needed in my face, because he then answered my question. "Many of Greyback's existing groups decided to ally under your name." He put his hands out, palm up, in a sign of supplication. "I was part of one of those groups."

I nodded, understanding and accepting his sudden submission. Greyback may have been my sire, but he had also been my enemy. Daryl wanted to make sure I saw his change in loyalty.

"Are the children his as well?" I looked at Barrett, where he rested against Neville's side. Ms. Zance told me his bite was an accident caused by his mother. But was there more to it? Was Greyback connected somehow?

Neville laid a hand on my shoulder as he explained, "No, both of them had werewolf parents who were sired or grandsired by Greyback, but who had rejected him. But now both children have lost their parents."

I shifted my eyes to Daryl curiously, and sympathetically. "Stevie isn't your child, then."

Daryl ruffled the boy's hair again. "He is now. But no, his biological parents were my friends. They were transitioning to your pack when they were hit by a muggle car outside of Southampton."

I turned to Stevie and gently said, "I'm sorry."

Stevie choked back both tears and growls. The boy was angry in his grief. "The car shouldn't have been on the Quidditch field while they were playing."

"What?!" I gasped. "It had to have gotten lost." I wanted to believe what I said. But even my tendency to excuse others couldn't justify something that sounded eerily deliberate.

"We are sure that Stevie's parents were murdered. The car was just a handy weapon." Daryl confirmed my suspicions sadly.

"Was it charmed?" I thought immediately of Sirius' bike and Arthur's feral car. Perhaps what was known about them could help figure out what happened to the victims.

Daryl shrugged. "Stevie was the only witness and he couldn't see inside the car. It was gone when I and the rest of the pack arrived, though we could see the tyre tracks."

I wanted to question him more. But I was starting to see a trend, and it was much more important at the moment. "And you're convinced Barrett's parents were murdered." I looked at Neville, who nodded.

"They were also working on joining your pack at the time." My mate picked up the young werewolf to hold him close.

Suddenly, possibilities swam in my head. They made me clutch Teddy tighter to me. "How did Stevie become a werewolf?"

Daryl took a deep breath. "His father bit him one night after the wards in the woods behind their house failed."

"Merlin!" I swore. That was just like what happened to Barrett. It was much too similar to dismiss it as coincidence, especially when both of the children were here, parentless.

Daryl nodded. "I was conflicted about Sara and Paul's deaths until Neville found Barrett. But the similarities between the two "accidents" are too obvious."

Neville sighed and added, "Someone is creating child werewolves again. And this time, they're killing others to do it."


	7. Chapter 7

Severus had hung back during Daryl and Neville's explanations. But now he came back over to us, his eyes broadcasting worry in a way I hadn't seen since he was Hogwarts' headmaster. The first thing he did was pull the potions bottles out of the bag he had brought and hand them to me and Daryl. We drank them quickly. He just as quickly vanished the bottles. Then he shook himself and started to speak. "There is a third child now. She was bitten last month."

His slightly annoying nasal tone became rattling as he said this. It was obvious that whatever had happened weighed on him heavily.

Teddy, ever sensitive to people's moods, ran over to my friend and grabbed his leg. His nose grew to Severus' proportions in sympathy. The man batted him away, but not before I saw a stained hand brush the top of my son's head gently.

I shifted to the edge of the lawn chair as I realized the other three men were staring at me. "What's wrong? Is there something different about this one?"

"She's 11 months old." Neville said sadly. "Her father was in the house with her, as he's not a werewolf. His wife was transformed in a warded area in the backyard. They use a lighting spell to see the borders of the area they mark off. So when he saw the wards break, he rushed out to redo them, leaving the door open. The mother then ran past him and bit the child while it played on the floor. But this time the mother *was* on Wolfsbane. Severus' Wolfsbane."

I shuddered in horror. "How is that possible?"

"We're not sure. Severus has been searching for counteragents to Wolfsbane for the last three weeks. So far, he hasn't found anything. But that's not our first concern. The child is recovering. Albert Jamison, Daryl's lieutenant, was able to send help immediately, as they are fully part of the pack. There's another problem now."

I rubbed the back of my neck to try to calm my worry, but it did no good. Because I knew what Neville was referring to. It was obvious that Daryl suspected the same thing. I could see the horror growing on his face. So I voiced the fear we both had. "You're waiting for somebody to attack her parents."

Neville nodded. "I've arranged to have the strongest people of the pack stay with them. But most of the werewolves are not fully trained as wizards, so we have not been able to ward their place adequately."

"Severus..." I turned my head. He had warded Andromeda's house the night before my near death, and I knew he had warded parts of the Slytherin dormitory when he was headmaster. Why hadn't he warded the child's home?

He shook his head as he answered my unvoiced question. "The wards I know that are most effective contain dark magic. That was fine when I was supposedly serving the Dark Lord, and in Andromeda's house. But since your mate convinced me I should throw away my sanity and bear your mark instead, I cannot use those charms now. I cannot save my reputation if I ruin yours." Severus made a show of looking annoyed at the new mark on his arm.

I wasn't fooled. For some reason, he was content with having my mark on him. He smelled very at ease. He was still at ease when he took the necessary jab at me. "Don't let your head swell to unmanageable proportions because you are better at wards than the others. You'll most likely fail spectacularly at something in the near future."

Why he was so content and why the two other men just rolled their eyes at him left me wondering. But that was a puzzle for another time. There was something more urgent now. I pulled my wand out of the inside pocket of my jacket. "Then I think it's time I met my pack."


	8. Chapter 8

The trip to the youngest victim's house was disconcerting and a bit disturbing. Nothing could have prepared me for what I faced there. Because although I had dealt with packs while working for the Order, I had never been the focus of one.

The first indication that I was out of my depth came the moment we arrived. After a quick argument with Severus about why Daryl hadn't been told about the child earlier (apparently Severus thought Daryl had had his hands full with me), my neighbor apparated me to the front door of the parents' home and knocked in it. He then took a step back, leaving me in charge of the situation. As was proper for an Alpha.

When the door opened, the woman standing there immediately fell on her knees in front of me. "Alpha, we are honored," she whispered to the ground at my feet.

I reached down for her automatically, wanting her to stand. I was not someone to worship! But when I touched her, she broke out in sobs.

"Most pack members led by Born Alphas can only imagine being in the presence their leader." Daryl whispered in my ear as he reached to help the woman up. "So it is considered sacred if it does happen."

I sighed, taking Severus' warning about a swelled head much more seriously. "I'm not here to be honored. I'm here to help these people."

With that in mind, I walked into the house and went to work.

First, I examined the property. Anything out of place could be a portkey or could hold a timed charm. So I made Sophie and her husband Mark follow me around as I questioned them about every object in sight and a few that weren't. The couple answered so respectfully and deferentially that it actually set my teeth on edge.

But I pulled myself together and showed them how to set defensive wards. From what Daryl told me, most werewolves have enough magical skill to set boundary wards. But they don't often need defensive wards, because a transformed wolf won't wave a wand at their borders.

It was upsetting that those skills I perfected to keep the Death Eaters away from the people I loved were still necessary. But I did what I needed to do. I set the guarding spells into place, then watched their infant toddle around for a few minutes. Her smiling face helped remind me why the wards were imperative.

Then I assured the couple that I would be in contact with them before the full moon, to help with the baby's first transformation.

Their gratitude was effusive, and extremely tiring. So I nudged Daryl and tried to give him a signal that it was time to go home.

Luckily, Daryl caught on immediately.

===

I knew what I needed the moment I apparated home.

I needed a hug from my son, which he gladly supplied.

But more importantly, I needed time alone with my mate.

That was much more complicated. I had never had the ability to ask him for his attention before. So approaching Neville seemed like a daunting task.

The five of them were scattered around my flat when we came home. Severus was in my arm chair, lecturing Stevie on etiquette at Hogwarts. Neville was playing some kind of board game with Teddy and Barrett. Barrett was in the process of moving his game piece across picture of a candy mountain when I came over. He was giggling as he did it.

That sound alone took a weight off my back.

But my son helped even more. Teddy rushed over for a hug the moment he saw me. I picked him up and held him to me, savoring his warmth and even his squirming. He was alive and safe. The revelations in the past couple hours made those ideas all the more important.

But after a few moments, he demanded to be put down, so he could finish the game. Once he was back at the table, I turned to Neville and told him about setting the wards in the Cavendishs' house.

My mate took in my words with a relieved look. "And how is Claire doing? Poppy hasn't had the time to go over this week."

"Poppy Pomfrey is treating the little girl's injuries? No wonder she survived. She seemed healthy enough, though she still had a bandage on her arm." I sat on the couch next to Neville, distracted by his scent. It became more alluring the closer I got to him.

When he turned to look at me, my heart skipped a beat. This brave young soul was mine for the taking. Although my scent wasn't on him yet, he was marked in tattoo form. He, in essence, declared himself my mate when my back was turned. 

I should have scolded him for insubordination.

But part of me wondered if he declared himself my mate to keep others' hand off him. Because of his connection to me, he was obviously sympathetic to werewolves. Less scrupulous lycans might have tried to take advantage of that. When I realized this, I felt like a fool for not claiming him earlier. I could feel my face flush with my shame.

Neville reached out to touch my cheek, as if to comfort me. His caress seemed to calm me and excite me at the same time.

Without taking his eyes off me, he called to the other adults. "Daryl, Severus, can you two watch the boys tonight? Remus and I have some catching up to do."

Severus let out a 'hmph!', which finally broke my eye contact with Neville. Everyone was quiet until Daryl drew my attention.  "Do you approve, Alpha?"

I nodded. "Just make sure Teddy doesn't stay up too late."

The boys squealed a moment later. Stevie had quickly realized they were getting an impromptu sleepover and told the other two.

After giving Stevie a smile and a nod, I realized that something had been nagging me since the minute we arrived at Claire's house. So I turned back to Daryl. "How long have you been running my pack, Beta?"

Daryl's jaw dropped open, but Severus just chuckled. "He may do foolish things, Daryl, but he is not a complete fool."

It took a moment for the other werewolf to get his voice back. Then he answered, "Two years, Alpha. But I did always ask your opinion if I could do it...unobtrusively."

"That explains the long, convoluted conversations we've had about your work." I shook my head at my own ignorance.  "You may take my child for the night."

"Children." Neville interjected.

I frowned at Neville. "I won't declare Barrett mine...yet."

My mate lowered his head submissively. But I could see his small smile. He was sure that Barrett would be ours once our mating was completed properly. Part of me knew he was right. But I wasn't ready for it today. So I laid a hand on his shoulder to stop any further declarations.

"You may take both boys. But try to make sure they get some sleep."

Daryl smiled. "That will be a hard task, but I will do my best, Alpha." With that, he gathered up some toys and ushered the three children and Severus out the door of my flat.

A minute later, I was finally alone with my mate. But I was left with the question of how to claim him.


	9. Chapter 9

The moment the door of my flat closed, Neville pulled me up from the couch and tugged on my arm. I followed him without hesitation. But my worry about claiming him must have shown on my face, because he muttered, "Why do you look so scared? You have a child, you must have had sex before."

I sputtered enough to make my mate laugh merrily. I was so enraptured by the sound and his bright face that I didn't realize where he was leading me until we arrived at my bedroom door.

"We don't need to rush into things," I whispered as Neville continued pulling me toward my bed. I was worried that he would find me too demanding. I could wait until he was ready for me.

But what I didn't realize was that he had been waiting for me to be ready. That became obvious as I saw the mischievous smile that came towards me and turned into a soft kiss that my lips gratefully accepted. "Oh, don't worry, Professor," he said when we pulled back from the kiss. "I have every intention of taking all night. I want to make sure there is no question about who I belong to."

A second later, he began to undress in front of me. He wasn't playing at it or trying to seduce me, so I began to feel uncomfortable. Although I didn't want to embarrass him by staring, I couldn't seem to help it.

My mate just smiled calmly, as if that was what he expected from me. So I became a little daring and moved my eyes down his body. By this time, his chest was naked. Just one glance at his fit torso gave my staring a focus. My eyes instantly gravitated to the wolf pacing around his middle, in charmed black and brown inks. Without thinking, I reached out to touch it. When I gently poked the ink muzzle, the wolf sniffed at my finger and wagged its tail. 

"Is that me?" I whispered, enchanted by the tattoo despite suspecting that it was a shadow of my dark side.

Neville chuckled. "Of course. When I realized you were going to take your time getting to this point," he waved his hand at my bed, "I found myself wanting a part of you to hold to me. I bought a camera to take pictures of you during the full moon, and found myself a werewolf tattoo artist. He did a very good job."

"He did." I admired the details of the wolf as it shook itself when I breathed on it. But then my brain kicked in. "Wait, you took pictures of me? Did you take precautions?! I could have attacked you."

Neville shook his head. "I need to tell Severus to give you *his* books on werewolves." He reached out to touch my hair and caress it much the same way I was distractedly petting his tattoo. "You're missing too much information. First, you were on Wolfsbane. Do try to trust our potions master, please. Secondly, werewolves do not attack their mates."

I bowed my head sheepishly, knowing how hard Severus worked to make the Wolfsbane safe for both the one taking it and those around them. That wasn't easy, given that aconite was a poison to humans. My mate was right that I should have more trust. The one time the potion did fail, it seemed to happen under suspicious circumstances.

Neville kissed my hair softly. "Everyone has been waiting for you to make a claim on me. That was supposed to be the beginning of your introduction to your pack. But you, Remus Lupin, are too stubborn for your own good. So much so that Daryl asked Professor McGonagall for help, even though she scares the magic right out of him."

I raised an eyebrow at his words. "So you weren't going to keep me in ignorance, like the other Born Alphas?"

My mate shook his head. "You are a true leader when given a chance. You shine in a classroom. Harry would easily follow your every word about Charms and Defense, as would most of Dumbledore's Army. You just need help trusting yourself."

I shrugged. "I'm not that good."

Neville scoffed. "Severus is teaching Charms class to the adult wolves who couldn't attend magical schools using the advice you've been given him offhand at your lunches together. Nobody is failing."

My eyes moved away from Neville's distracting body to study his face. "*That* is what his sudden interest in my skills is about?"

His nod was slow and sincere. "And Daryl been asking you about how to handle Hogwarts' muggle bank accounts because Minerva came across your accounting books for the Order of the Phoenix."

"Oh Merlin!" I sat down hard on the bed and looked up at my mate worriedly. "Why? I'm not the genius all of you seem to think I am."

He shifted so he was standing between my legs and tilted my chin up to kiss me again softly. His attention calmed me almost immediately. "You're worth listening to. Nobody has to listen to the Queen, she doesn't actually run this country. But they do because she has worked hard to learn about her people and find out what might help them. You do that for everybody. No matter who asks you for help, you will do your best to give them what they need. But I think it's time to turn the tables. It's time someone sees to your needs."

A moment later, Neville stripped me of my favorite cardigan and started unbuttoning my shirt. "I am here to serve you, Alpha."

"Neville, no." I stilled his hands. "We do this for both of us or not at all."

"Oh, I'll get plenty of pleasure out of the experience." With that, the other man nipped at my neck.

As if he were waiting for this sign from our mate, Moony suddenly reared inside of me. The wolf took control before I could stop him, grabbing Neville and practically throwing him on the bed. I was on my hands and knees above him seconds later. The arousal coursed through me so swiftly and so strongly that I was panting at the brush of his hand on my arm.

After that, thinking was impossible. I could only feel.

I remembered afterwards that there were scraps of clothing falling everywhere. I nipped at skin that was overwhelmingly enticing. There were yells and moans of pleasure. One or two of pain. Those were the sounds that Moony whimpered at, but I found I could soothe them with a word or a kiss. 

Our first joining was ecstasy. I quite literally howled my joy. Neville, the one who brought it forth in me, gave his own yell of pleasure. And the Moonys, both the one inside me and the one on his chest, were relaxed and content.

Afterwards, it was so easy to lay with my mate and talk, very much like I had with Sirius. He told me about the pack and how he longed for me to see what they had created. I told him about raising Teddy, and how much I wanted Neville to be part of my family.

Then we talked about the dark times. I told him about Greyback's bite and the years after. We discussed the wars with Voldemort, and the parts we both played. Finally, Neville gave me all the details he had about the incidents that were now harming the children that were being brought into the pack. 

We didn't solve anything, but our words and our physical closeness bonded us more than the magic that brought us together. 

And that was necessary for us to face the days that were coming.


	10. Chapter 10

When I woke in the morning, I automatically dragged myself out of bed to get ready for my job as the manager of a small muggle clothing shop.

For a moment, I didn't remember the night before. So I paused as my mate's hands reached out to try to pull me back to bed. But I pulled away. As enticing as the invitation was, I had a son to check on and a flat to support.  I stumbled to the shower and avoided looking at where my mate still laid in my bed.

But when I returned to my bedroom, Neville was leaning against the doorjamb, wearing his charmed vine boxers and a determined look on his face. "You are not going to that idiotic job today. You have two employment offers. Both of them are for teaching."

"What are you talking about?" I asked as I grabbed my clean muggle slacks and dress shirt.

My mate tore them out of my hands and handed me the old teaching robes that he must have pulled out of the back of my closet. "You pack would be glad to pay you to teach the adults the magical skills they don't have. Severus is an adequate instructor but we all know you have a better demeanor than he does. And if you aren't ready for that, Minerva has a no longer cursed DADA spot with your name on it." 

I just stared at him for a moment with my robes falling out of my hands. 

Neville sighed and cupped my face in his hands. "All of us want you to come home. If you wish, I will live here with you. But the magical world both wants and needs you. Please."

I ran a hand through my hair. "What about the danger the pack is dealing with?"

"Do you really think you can solve our problem while ordering clothes for muggles? Or that it will be easier to protect Teddy at the shop? Let us protect your family while you help us figure out what's going on. The wolves have resources that might help. And if they don't, there's always the Hogwarts library Restricted Section."

I groaned but eventually nodded. "When did you get so bloody logical?"

My mate pulled my head down so he could kiss my forehead. "When I realized who I would have to keep up with. You are kind and patient. But you don't suffer fools any more than Severus does. So I promised myself I wouldn't be one."

I closed my eyes and accepted his kiss with a calm I haven't felt since Sirius was alive. "I assume you know how to find Minerva this early in the morning."

Neville laughed. "She specifically told me to disturb her breakfast if you wanted the position back."

I nodded with a chuckle. "Please don't let the pack feel insulted by my choice. I do need something familiar to help me reacclimate...plus there is the Restricted Section to peruse."

Neville shook his head. "I see it's going to take awhile until you understand that the heads of your pack actually know you. Daryl anticipated this. We don't mind. Though Daryl did ask Minerva to offer you some kind of part-time arrangement so you could do both, if you'd like."

The manipulations of the people leading my pack astounded me. "That sounds reasonable...But I'll have to inform my employer..."

Neville dug a muggle cell phone out of his discarded clothes. "I, um, know your employer."

I raised an eyebrow to ask the obvious question.

"Cousin of a pack member." My mate flushed red. "You were so insistent on getting distance from the magical world that we worried about your safety. That's why Daryl moved next door, and why you got that job flyer on your doorstep. The job is below you, but it was the most secure idea we could come up with on short notice."

"Most werewolves are lucky to be employed at all."

Neville sighed. "Yes. So your job will be handed off to another pack member. We made Mr. Jacobson promise that would happen. And we've started talking to the Ministry about disability regulations in employment, especially concerning magical creatures. We could use your help there too, of course."

I shook my head. "All of you astound me." The pack manuevered in ways I wanted to but didn't know how to. "You're like a pack of...marauders."

Neville grinned. "Do you think they would have been proud of us?"

"Jamie and Sirius? Most definitely." I grabbed my teaching robes off the floor and started putting them on. "I am too. Let's go see Minerva so I can start helping." 


	11. Chapter 11

It took less than three hours for Headmistress McGonagall to give me my old job back, on a part time schedule. A sense of relief washed over me at Minerva's welcoming smile. It felt good to be back at Hogwarts. 

Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to prepare, as it was early August. But Minerva assured me that the person I would be sharing the position with would help. She wouldn't, however, tell me who that person was. She promised me she'd tell me in a week.

So I spent an hour in the DADA classroom, pondering possibilities. I mentally debated over the supplies that I would need and what the children would need to know now that Voldemort was gone. My head was spinning with plans when Neville quietly came in. I was so lost in thought that I jumped when I saw him.

"Now, now, professor. It wouldn't be good for the students to see their DADA teacher caught off guard." My mate smiled as he took my hand and squeezed it.

"I'm not going to hide my mistakes, love." I smiled back. "I'll just make sure they realize the importance of the others around them."

But curriculum was the last thing on my mind at the moment.

Neville's clear green eyes beckoned me as I watched him. Moony urged me to leave my mark on him once again, especially since we would be in the presence of other lycanthropes soon.

But I couldn't just take him right there. I had to think of the others in the castle. If she knew, Minerva would have been sympathetic to my plight. She had been around for my first mating. But even she had her limits.

So I pulled him behind the door and kissed him thoroughly. He returned the kiss so enthusiastically that I was hard pressed to not push him over the desk in the corner.

But we were able to separate before we got out of hand. I ignored the shaking in my arms as I tried to calm myself.

Neville stepped back and took a deep breath. "We need to head to the pack community centre."

I looked at him incredulously. "We have a community centre?!"

The younger man nodded. "Yes, outside London. The Ministry is funding part of it. It will be used for Wolfsbane distribution."

I swore softly. "How much did Severus have to disdain the Ministry to get that?"

"Not much once he threatened to withhold a few potions that the Wizengamot needs."

Leave it to Severus to make the heads of the magical world quake at his feet. "Nobody makes Veritaserum better than Severus. Everyone knows that."

"And that fact makes a good weapon to get things done." Neville tugged on my hand and led me out of the classroom. "Come on, we can use the Floo in Minerva's office."

===

The community centre looked like a dream come true to my jaded eyes. There were lycathropes everywhere. They were exercising, practicing spells, giving each other advice, and planning for the full moon. Every room seemed to have someone in it talking about how to *live*.

It was absolutely amazing. I couldn't believe that I was the inspiration for all of this.

As I moved through the halls with Neville, I spotted a group of people I had met when I had gone around to the remote packs for the Order. It was obvious that they recognized me when I walked into the room where they were talking. Whereas most of them had ignored me when I was outside the pack they were in, now they bowed to me, and showed me their wrists. All of them bore my mark.

Neville nodded his approval to each of them, so I followed suit.

The werewolves whispered to each other for a moment, then as a group thanked me for giving them Severus (though they referred to him as Mr. Prince), his potion, and his spell skills.

I was amazed at how humbled they were now. It was as if they had not given me the cold shoulder three years ago. The illusion held, however, only if you didn't look into their eyes. Their eyes had a wariness and a fear, as if they expected me to reject them.

But I simply acknowledged their gratitude, causing each one of them to sigh with relief.

A moment later, Neville dragged me to the lycans practicing spells in the one of the bigger rooms. Sophie Cavendish and her husband, Mark, were among them. "These are the people learning Charms," Neville said proudly. "They have been following your advised lessons for the past four months."

The students bowed to me as the other lycans had, each saying a few words in praise of me. Their accolades embarrassed me so much that I ended up putting Neville in pain as I squeezed his hand too tightly.

But that was the worst of the ego building. Once the introductions were finished, the group asked to be evaluated on their progress. I sighed with relief at the request. That was much less stress inducing.

So I paired them and sent them through a round of first year spells, then second year spells. Most of them could handle those well, if not with the flare most Hogwarts students gain. The third year spells were the ones they started to have difficulty with, but many in the group were beginning to create boundary charms better than some members of the Order.

I silently congratulated Severus on his teaching practicality. He put their learning needs above any set curriculum.

At that moment, it dawned on me who I would be sharing the DADA position with. Severus' methodical tendencies with my attention to the students' behavior would make a useful combination. We'd just have to figure out how to coordinate the two.

But I needed to turn my attention back to my current instruction. Once I evaluated all of the people in the practice group, I paired them off to try a new set of spells. This time I created the pairs so that a better learner was with one who needed more instruction. I could see that this ended up separating friends and couples (Mark and Sophie ended up on opposite sides of the room). 

The group smiled and did as I asked instead of grumbling, as the Hogwarts children would have done. That was refreshing. Perhaps there would be benefit for me in this as well.

Neville had moved against a far wall as I started to teach, in order to stay out of the way of wandering wands. But once I created the new pairs, he moved towards Sophie and her partner while I went down the line to tweak a wand wave or pronounce a spell for those who were having difficulty.

I had just gotten to a pair who were untangling each other from the binding charm they were practicing when I heard a shout.

"Sophie!" was yelled from the back corner where I had left Neville. So, without thinking, I ran to the corner with Mark on my heels.

There, my mate was holding off a black-cloaked figure with his wand. I could see Sophie behind him, wounded but definitely alive.

I pointed my wand at the figure and quickly hexed it. Neville, just as quickly, shot a binding spell at it. But the person was too quick. They disapparated before we could cast more than one spell each.

We quickly searched the space where the person had been, but found nothing that would tell us who they were. By the time we had finished examining the area where the attacker had been, the other lycans had done their best to heal Sophie. I looked her over quickly, then asked, "Where is Claire?"

"With Mr. Prince," Mark said. "We didn't want our babysitter getting hurt if that happened." He waved his hand at his wife.

That made the next step easy. I pulled Neville aside and whispered in his ear. Then, after he nodded, we both grabbed one of the Cavendishs and apparated to Spinner's End.


	12. Chapter 12

Claire Cavendish squealed when she saw her parents suddenly appear in Severus' kitchen. She ran over to her mother almost before the apparation spell finished.

Seconds later, I too was nearly bowled over by my three year old and his soon-to-be four year old brother. I hugged them both, causing big grins and excited chatter.

But Severus didn't look as thrilled. I could see the wariness in his eyes the moment we arrived. "What happened?" he barked.

"Sophie was attacked." Neville brought the woman over to the table where Severus was mixing a potion. By this time, she had gone pale and was staggering on her feet. I was shocked by her condition. She had looked fine before we apparated.

Fortunately, my friend was not as ignorant as I. Severus inspected Sophie's wound, which the other werewolves had been able to only partially heal. "This was made by a variant of Crucio. You are lucky to be alive." He grabbed a potion off the counter and poured a measure into a glass for Sophie to drink.

"It was not luck. It was the Alpha's mate," she said with a smile. "He pushed me out of the way before the spell hit me fully." She drank the potion, then shook herself a little as the draught healed a few things inside her.

Once I saw that the female lycan would be fine, I sent the boys back to their toys so I could examine Neville carefully. In all the commotion, I didn't consider that he could have also been hit by the spell. I sighed with relief when I realized he hadn't been, then carefully cast a wandless spell to heal the scrape on his hand. Sophie and Mark gasped in amazement at my casting, but Neville simply kissed my cheek and said, "Don't wear yourself out with the little things."

A moment later, I smelled the presence of another werewolf. Given what had just happened, I was unwilling to trust anyone I couldn't see, even one of my own kind. So I pulled out my wand and pointed it toward the kitchen doorway. A second later, Severus yelled, "Stop!"

The werewolf turned the corner. My eyes went wide when I made out the figure of my Beta, Daryl Richards. I realized that I was not familiar with his scent as well as I should have been. But I couldn't blame myself. He had hidden it from me for as long as I knew him.

That didn't prepare me for what I saw when my Beta entered the kitchen. Was that Severus' iconic robe with the extensive row of buttons that Daryl was wearing like a jacket?! I let out a gasp at the sight.

Neville chuckled next to me as Daryl blushed. "You didn't think my word alone was enough for Severus to join the pack, did you?"

I watched as the connection between Severus and Daryl became visible. They strained towards each other without moving, and the unflappable potion master's sallow complexion turned rather pink.

I could feel the Cavendishs' nervous gazes, as they waited for my approval or rejection of the pair. But I didn't even consider rejection. How could I not want my neighbor and Second to be happy? And for Merlin's sake, now I knew why Severus was so content. I was one of the few people left who knew how rare that was. So I just turned to Daryl and asked, "How do I officially approve?"

"I'll make the changes to my tattoo after we discuss the incident at the centre." Severus said calmly as Daryl's face turned redder. But after a moment, my Beta went to the table to sit next to his mate, who laid a hand on his arm.

I nodded my approval for the moment, then leaned against the wall to watch the Cavendishs. "Sophie, what do you remember?"

"Just a draft behind me and the smell of vanilla bean before your mate shoved me, Alpha." Sophie said as she picked up her daughter. "Then pain. And relief when you arrived."

"Vanilla bean?" Daryl repeated with an odd look on his face.

"What is it?" Severus asked quietly.

"Stevie said the car that killed his parents smelled like ice cream. But because we were both overwhelmed by his parents' deaths, I never bothered to ask him what flavour."

"Ask him tonight when he gets back from his maths camp." Severus had a gleam in his eye when he spoke of the boy. Perhaps he had finally found a child worthy of his attention.

I shook my head to bring my mind back to our discussion. "Do we know anyone who smells like an ice cream shop?"

The other men all said "No." But Sophie hesitated.

"Who?" I asked Sophie, moving towards her.

"I-I'm not sure, Alpha. But I do know I've smelled that before, recently." She bowed her head. The scent of the shame she felt at her lack of memory permeated the room. 

But memory was such a fickle thing. I needed her to try to remember, not retreat. I lifted her head by placing a finger under her chin. "Don't worry. Nobody's perfect. Just keep searching your memory. Do it for me."

That must have been the right thing to say, because a second later, the sad woman straightened her shoulders and adjusted the toddler at her side. Good. I couldn't afford to lose whatever clue she could give us, no matter how small. 

But I needed a lot more information, and I needed it fast. Because whoever attacked Sophie could try again. So I turned to my Beta.

"Take me to Stevie's Quidditch field. We need to start planning."


	13. Chapter 13

I wasn't lying when I said that I needed to see the field where Stevie's parents were killed. Even though the crime had occurred months ago, my skills in magical tracking could still pick up clues the others had missed. But I was using this location for another purpose as well: a place to talk to Severus, with no interference from the pack.

So I had Daryl apparate us, then I firmly told him to leave. I was sure Severus guessed my intentions, because he glared at his mate until Daryl stopped protesting and obeyed.

"What do you have to say that cannot be said in front of either of our mates?" my oddly noble friend asked snidely as he sat on one of the benches on the edge of the field. 

"I need information only you have," I said cautiously as I moved to stand in front of him. "I expect to get the unvarnished truth from you. Neither of our mates understand the relationship between the two of us. They want to coddle me."

Severus snorted. "You've responded positively to it. If you need coddling, you obviously haven't been taking care of yourself well. But since you don't expect me to do anything that distasteful, what can I give you?"

So I told him what was on my mind. "I'm not accusing you of anything, but I need to know if the murders started when you joined the pack."

"You think I was the catalyst?" Snape glared at me. All of a sudden, the enemy inside my friend was back full-force.

But as there was a reason for my inquiry. I couldn't back down. So I glared right back. "You might have been."

"I didn't do anything to your precious pack except find a mate within it and help keep it safe," the potions master nearly yelled.

At that point, the discussion was getting out of my control. I held up my hands to try to make him calm him down. Having him rage at me would defeat my purpose. "I know. I told you, I'm not accusing you."

"Then explain yourself." Severus crossed his arms defensively.

I tried another angle, hoping he would understand. "Who knows who you actually are? Who knows what we are to each other?"

Severus started to relax as he saw the logic in my question. My inquiry wasn't about him, it was about who knew us. "Not many. I didn't reveal myself to anyone I didn't need to and your mate was extremely discreet when he pulled me in. Daryl knows, your mate and Minerva, obviously, as well as those in the Ministry working with me on Wolfsbane distribution. What do you think my presence has to do with the incidents?"

"I know this sounds paranoid, but if anyone wanted to kill me, going through those who know me well would be a good tactic." I ran my hand through my hair. "This is my pack...but if I were to die, who would head it?"

Severus swore. "Since this isn't a 'power' pack, succession doesn't happen by the heads fighting for dominance. It would resemble a royal family or a democracy. Daryl would be the first choice, unless your child was a werewolf. Then the child would be counseled by the Beta."

I took a deep breath. "That's what I was afraid of. Whoever is doing this is looking for control..."

Severus nodded. "And now you have two children who could potentially be used as pawns. Though my guess is making Edward a werewolf would be preferable, as he's biologically yours."

I started pacing, but that agitated me more, so I stopped. “I believe that our assailant plans to get rid of Daryl once the children are all werewolves. This person is trying to create the packs of the past.”

“Why have child werewolves?”  Severus asked worriedly. “They would need a lot of guidance.”

“Greyback believed they were easily molded.” I sat down next to Severus to try to stop my trembling. “He preferred to have new werewolves come into the pack as children rather than adults.”

Severus sighed and finally divulged what I needed to know. "Steven's parents were murdered here eight months ago, a month after I officially joined the pack."

I gazed down at the grass in front of me, trying to figure out if that meant our assailant knew us somehow. But then I spotted something lying by my foot. I bent down to see a necklace peeking out between the green blades.

The necklace stirred a memory in me. I needed a better view of it. But since I could tell that it was a silver chain, I would have to grab it carefully. So I wrapped my hand in my robe to reach into the grass. I could feel the silver burn me through my robe, but I was able to hold it out for Severus to see.

"What is it?" Severus asked, examining but not touching the wolf head charm dangling from the silver chain. 

"A pack charm. Greyback's apostles used to wear them." I put the object on the bench between us and checked my hand. Luckily, it was only red. I healed the irritation with a quick spell.

“Apostles? People treated that idiot as a religious idol?” Severus shivered and stared down at the necklace again. "Were they wolves? This thing is silver."

“Yes, they were the major devotees of Greyback and his vision.” I tried to stay calm as the words I was saying started to mirror what we had gone through three years ago. "And yes, most of them were lycanthropes. They often had burns on their necks from these baubles."

Serverus stared at his arm with the moon tattoo and the fading mark underneath it. Then he shook his head. "We have another insane fanatic on our hands don't we?"

I sighed. “It looks that way.”


	14. Chapter 14

Severus told me his story as we went around the border of the quidditch field looking for any further clues to our assailant's identity. “The only werewolf I was ever afraid of was you. And it wasn't because you were a wolf. I thought you deliberately set up Black's stunt."

He looked away from me as his cheeks turned pink. "I always knew I was to be mated to a werewolf. It was the only prescient dream I ever had.”

I stared at him for a moment, stunned. "You know now that Sirius took you to the Shack on impulse. So why are you still afraid of me?"

Severus handed me some slivers of wood from the ground to test for errant spells. “I'm not. I'm reacting to my Alpha. Of course I'm going to be upset if you are mad. But I stopped being afraid of you when you came to teach at Hogwarts.”

The slivers were clean, so I tossed them to the side. “I find that hard to believe. “

Severus rolled his eyes. He never reacted well to being told he was lying, even when he *was* lying. So it actually surprised me that he was calm when he said, “It's true. While you were teaching, I discovered that you were a Born Alpha. Your type of lycans are not all that frightening. In fact, they are ridiculously dependent on their pack.”

I ignored his disparaging, as his eyes softened with the respect for me that he no longer tried to hide. "How did you figure out my status?"

The potions master waved his wand over the ground around us to raise a few objects out of the grass. "I had to chase some of the children away from your door constantly. Although you definitely have good qualities, your personality is not that compelling to 11 year olds, nor is your chocolate supply that extensive. So I did some research on werewolves."

I picked up a piece of rubber that could have been from the weaponized car's tyre and put it in my pocket. "And that's when you found the book that you hid from me.”

Severus found a few more pieces and handed them to me. “Yes. I figured Albus didn't want to lose his pet werewolf too early. The book made Born Alphas sound like the most delicate thing in the Wizarding World. “

I growled, letting Moony have a moment to vent our frustration. I wasn't a rose that would fall apart in a strong breeze.

I expected Severus to cower, but this time he just put his hand on my shoulder. "No, you were not weak, but you and the other wolves were in danger. So I put something in your Wolfsbane to mute your aura."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You didn't want them to gather?"

The potions master shook his head. "No, The Dark Lord and that idiotic feral being that sired you would have destroyed your pack before it began. And halfway through the term, I talked to Daryl at one of Death Eaters meetings. So by then I had a vested interest."

I felt a twinge of empathy at the evidence that he, too, had to wait to be with his mate. But then the worst incident of that time came to the front of my memory. "Then why have me fired?!"

Severus glared back at me. "You fool! The position was cursed. If I didn't get you fired, I feared that something worse might happen before the next term."

I held up my hands, realizing he actually tried to help me by taking me away from the school. "Okay, I understand. But then why did you want the position so badly?" I went back to digging in the dirt while I listened.

Severus took the second piece of silver jewelry I found before it could burn my hand. "So I could try to uncurse it. But apparently, that wasn't possible until Voldemort was gone. Minerva said it took only one curse breaker to undo it after the Dark Lord's death, whereas four couldn't lift the curse beforehand."

I nodded. "So once Voldemort was dead..."

"I took the wormwood smoke out of the Wolfsbane. And the pack started to form within two months. Daryl was almost immediately chosen to lead behind you. And he insisted I be with him. So Neville came up with my alter ego. As payment for his help, we came up with a plan to reveal the pack to you within about three months. But you became stubborn and decided you were joining the muggle world, making your fledgling pack scramble to give you what you wanted. "

Severus sighed. "I didn't approve of your decision, but it did give all of us stability and a chance to learn to coordinate. We considered rescinding our intention to tell you about the pack. But that option was taken away from us once Barrett's parents died. He started asking for you almost the minute he was orphaned. And when young Claire was turned, and I could do nothing to stop it...Well, I realized that although I had good theoretical knowledge of defense against the arts I pretended to be in, we needed someone with more practical experience. Namely, you."

I looked at him worriedly. "I hope I'm the leader you think I am. If I'm not, many lycan families will suffer for it."

My friend put his hand on my shoulder. "I think I can prove to you that you're better than you think you are in three days, on the night of the full moon."


	15. Chapter 15

I spent the three days leading up to the full moon planning with my pack. In doing so, I learned much about the people around me, and about myself.

The first day, I sat down with Daryl, Severus, Albert, and a few people they trusted, including the Cavendishs. We needed to figure out a way for the pack to be together during the full moon and still remain safe. One advantage of being part of a pack was an open invitation to join an established group during the transformation. This was useful to many, as comfort for the wolves and company for those who were human. I didn't want to take that away from them. In fact, I wanted to be part of it.

Although Daryl had established such a group in my name for the past year in the field near the community centre, I protested that going there this month without some extra planning would be inviting trouble. "We are being attacked. There needs to be a plan in place in case this person tries something during the moon."

"But the person isn't a wolf," Daryl protested logically. "They can't get near us. Not all of us will be on Wolfsbane."

Severus and I looked at each other worriedly. Although my rather upstanding and practical Beta had more than adequately protected my pack up to this point, he believed the current precautions would be enough to deter the killer in our midst. We knew better. If this person was capable of the Killing Curse, the wolves would be easy victims without some more stringent precautions.

So I started mapping out a plan. But I ended up training my pack to plan with me in the process.

I was used to being an augment to Albus Dumbledore's or Mad Eye Moody's genius in the Order of the Phoenix. They had come up with the plans. I had simply refined them. My opinion had been respected, as everyone was aware of how well I knew my craft. But I had been one of a group, and was able to use the group's feedback to refine my ideas. It was a comfortable way for me to work, because I had done so since my days with the Marauders.

But it wasn't easy getting the cooperation I needed from my pack. Born Alphas' Betas were used to being in charge much of the time, Severus had told me. So Daryl had protested, loudly and vehemently. But he bowed his head in submission when I asked him if he wanted Stevie to lose another parent.

The rest of the pack, however, hung on my every word. When I scolded their current 'leader' for thinking that they could continue as usual, they looked to me as if I knew everything in the universe.

That made me realize that there was a problem with being as iconic as Dumbledore. Nobody would tell you if you were wrong. But with people getting killed, I couldn't take the chance of my plan being just as bad as Daryl's. So I ended up using Severus' contrary nature as a sounding board. He quickly caught on, and played devil's advocate to every idea I had. Daryl, quickly recovering from the embarrassment of failing his Alpha, soon found that he could also speak up and help me adjust my plans to be more practical.

When the others saw me listening to reasonable suggestions, they also began to contribute.

Within an hour, an alternate plan began to evolve.

We decided to invite all of the pack in the area to two locations for the transformations. I would patrol one part of the pack on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Neville and a few of the other human family members would rotate between watching the human children in my classroom at Hogwarts and guarding the borders of our spacious enclosure. Daryl and Severus would create a similar set-up in the field near the community centre. 

I knew the worst thing we could do was put everyone in one place, but also we needed to be with each other to stay safe. So two groups would have to do.

The hardest decision we made was splitting up Sophie and Claire. I told Sophie to go with Daryl, while I took the child. Barrett had shown interest in having Claire as a playmate, which I believed would carry over to their canine forms. And I was better prepared than the others to comfort the toddler, because I knew what a transformation felt like at a very young age.

Sophie insisted that Mark be with Neville's group. This I understood and approved of. If something went wrong with Claire's first transformation (There were rumors that some of Greyback's werewolf children died during their first transformation because they did not have enough magic), she would have family nearby to make decisions concerning her life.

Since our reason for separating mother from daughter was that we suspected our enemy was going to try to attack Sophie again, I gave Severus explicit orders to use any dark magic he could conjure to keep his half of the pack safe. I would deal with the Ministry if they found out.

We then spent a day arranging and warding the areas to my standards. 

I woke up that morning, like the past few, next to my mate. I reveled in it, even though our extensive planning, preparing and chasing after two young boys meant that we simply fell into bed and curled around each other each night.

But even with our distraction, my mate found ways to tell me how much he cared for me. The first was when I went to the area of the Forbidden Forest we had chosen. When I stepped into the clearing, I found four familiar figures waiting for me there.

"Alpha," Kingsley Shacklebolt, the head of the Aurors, said formally as he bowed his head. Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley also bowed their heads, as if I were their ruler.

"Stop it," I said with a growl. "This is hard enough to adjust to without having to deal with submission everywhere I go."

"Neville thought you might need help setting the wards, so we volunteered." Hermione Granger smiled, not bowing to anyone.

My three lead pack members, Daryl, Severus and Neville, arrived right after that with our boys. Neville handed me a cup of tea, and a minute later, the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore's Army members overwhelmed my Beta with the ideas that flew through the air as we debated different ward set ups. But he listened attentively and soon offered ideas of his own.

We finally settled on one combination for both sites. As the boys ran around playing tag, the adults methodically set and tested the wards and border spells that would keep all the wolves safe. I used this time to discuss the crimes with Kingsley. He had been aware of the death of Stevie's parents, but not of the other incidents. So he had a quill take notes as we set wards and talked.

An investigation would have to be started behind the Ministry's back, as they still held onto their rules against lycanthropes. Kingsley swore he would put Harry and Ron on the case despite the rules. I sighed in relief at his vow. We would have help bringing our attacker to justice.

Then Neville revealed that he had one more idea up his sleeve. "Is Mrs. Weasley willing, Ron?" he asked mysteriously when we had finished with the wards,

"Yes. In fact, she's ecstatic to have kids running around the Burrow again." Ron said with a smile.

"What did you do?" I asked my mate, eyeing him with suspicion.

"Oh, all the pack kids are having a sleep over at the Burrow tomorrow night so that the adult wolves can take care of some things." Neville's eyes shined as he said this. He knew that Moony was straining towards him more as the full moon came closer. It was the same with all lycans and their mates. So, being the resourceful man he was, he found a way for all of us to get what we needed while keeping the children safe.

Kingsley assured me that he and Bill Weasley would be warding the area around the Burrow as thoroughly as we had just done for our full moon areas. And the three saviors of the Wizarding World would be among those helping to keep the fifteen children occupied.

Because of that, I went home with my mate and children overwhelmed by conflicting feelings of humility and strength.


	16. Chapter 16

Using my new-found power as Alpha, I declared that on the day before this full moon, the pack should spend with their families.

As this was the first moon the pack was whole, with their role model in the lead, the lycans who could scrambled to obey. Those who couldn't find time found other ways to connect with their families. I was satisfied with the results.

I, of course, did the same.

Although I had not made an official declaration concerning Barrett Schiff-Longbottom, Neville and I both knew the child would be adding another name to his soon. So I spent some time getting to know the boy when he and Neville came over after breakfast.

Barry, as his new brother insisted on calling him, was a shy but curious child. He could read simple books, and cast one or two basic spells (the ones the Ministry most often ignored in youths). But although he was one year older than Teddy, he was content to let my son take the lead in much of their playing. It worked well for both of them. My child basked in the attention his new admirer gave him, and Barry seemed secure in his position with Teddy.

But I could see the pull of the moon in Neville's adopted son. He was starting to become listless and fear shone out of those dark eyes. So I pulled Barry aside for a few minutes to talk about the upcoming moon while Neville asked Teddy to show him where all the lunch food was.

"Will I be bad again?" Barry asked worriedly as I told him that we would go outside with the rest of the pack the on the next night. He seemed absolutely frightened of the full moon's arrival.

I sighed. Neville had shown me the report from the orphanage about the events surrounding the last full moon. The staff had chained the poor boy to a bed in an isolation room. Although they tried to insinuate in the report that it would have been the wolf's fault if he injured anyone, I could tell that nobody had bothered to look up any books on werewolves. The orphanage had no idea how to keep wolves and those around them safe. But this time, the child would have what he needed.

"No." I said softly, pulling the boy onto my lap. "The wolf inside you just needs some time to come out and play. It needs to come out every full moon."

I tried to give the young one what the Marauders have given me, the chance to feel that the wolf's coming was normal. Because for him, like all lycans, it would have to be. "My wolf will be with you. And so will Claire's. I know you like playing with her."

"She giggles a lot! And she likes toys with lights." Barry chattered happily, then looked up at me curiously. "Do Papa Nev and Teddy have wolves too?"

I smiled. He wanted those he liked to join him. That was a good first step in accepting what he was.

So I didn't upset him by saying nobody would want a wolf. Instead, I told him, "No, but Papa Nev will watch over all of us, so we stay safe while we play."

Barry seemed content with that compromise. A moment later, he climbed off my lap. He spent the rest of the day chasing Teddy around the flat. And every once in awhile, one or both of the boys would climb into my lap for a hug before going back to their fun.

===

As planned, Hermione Granger showed up by Floo to take the boys to the Burrow that evening. She made both Neville and I look like incompetent parents when she expertly grabbed their bags of toys and clothes before shooing them to the fireplace. Then she calmed them enough so that I could throw the floo powder for her while they held tightly to her hands. I tried to not feel outclassed by my former student. 

But someone else needed my attention this night. When they were gone, Neville grabbed my hand. "Come with me."

I nodded my assent and a moment later we apparated to a small cottage that I had seen from the window of the community centre.

"What's this?" I looked around curiously.

"The house I bought for us...for when you are ready to rejoin the wizarding world completely." Neville smiled. "But for now, it'll serve as a place for us to play."

"Play? I don't think I have the patience to play right now." I growled softly as we walked inside and Neville shut the door. "Moony's ready to slam you into the wall," I admitted.

My mate didn't seemed concerned about being roughed up a bit. "It might be better to use a floor instead." Neville commented as he led me into the basement. 

The basement was a room painted in warm colors, with a large cage in a corner and what looked like a muggle exercise mat covering three quarters of the rest of the floor.

"That," my mate pointed to the cage, "Is for anyone who needs to be separated from the pack during the moon. A few have joined us after serious injury. Since the pack's wrestling gets pretty intense, the injured are dosed on Wolfsbane and brought here for the moon. Willingly, of course."

But after that brief explanation, the younger man wasted no time bringing my attention back to him. He stripped off his shirt and jeans quickly, smiling as my gaze automatically followed his hands.

But when I made no move to remove my own clothes, Neville reached for me to correct my oversight.

That's when I pounced. I took his advice and dropped him to the floor. His breath left him in a gasp as I landed on top of him.

But rather than being frightened or annoyed, my mate became passionate. He grabbed my head and pulled me down for a kiss. A frantic, biting, fighting for dominance kiss.

Moony reared inside me at this display of power and restrained Neville's arms.  My mate didn't fight back or complain. He just searched my face and smiled up at me sweetly. "Do it." he whispered, as if he were a Legimens and could read my intentions.

So I did what Moony was pushing me to do.  I flipped him over onto his stomach and said a wandless spell to coat my finger with lubrication. I was too far gone in the moon's haze to be gentle, but my mate didn't seem bothered by it. He pushed back, begging for more, even when I roughly shoved three fingers into him.

A moment later, I gave into the overwhelming urge to shove my cock into him, making us both groan. I pulled him tightly against me as my mind swam and my body took him in a bruising rhythm. Each jerk of my hips sent us further across the exercise mat.

It wasn't long until we both reached the edge of completion. But just before everything in us snapped, I bit my mate's neck right below the tattoo he had put there to stake his claim on me. As I returned the claim, he howled and his body tumbled over into orgasm. I bit him a second time and followed him over the edge.

After we had calmed, Neville rolled onto his side and examined my face. He must have been satisfied with what he saw, because he simply said, "It's about time you did that."

I sighed contently, laying a hand on the wolf tattoo on his chest. "You're mine. Before this, everyone assumed it. Now they will know it. Nobody will touch you during the moon, Wolfsbane or not. Or I will have the right to kill them on the spot."

He ran his fingers through my hair, calming me when the thought of killing another twisted my face into a grimace. "That will just make it easier to protect everyone."

With that, the bond between us pulled us into lassitude. We curled around each other and slept, knowing that being together was the best way to get us through what would probably be a trying night in 24 hours time.


	17. Chapter 17

The morning of the moon, Daryl and I went to gather our charges, 45 souls including us and the three children. We asked them a few questions before requesting that they gather their families and follow us to Scotland. I used some of the spells that helped me chase after the other Marauders so many years ago to keep track of who was fully dosed on Wolfsbane, who missed a dose or two, and who could not take it because of age or allergy.

We split up those who were not dosed properly, with me taking the new ones so they would be more likely to obey orders once transformed. Alpha commands are usually obeyed without question, even among the wolves who just joined the pack.

With that, we were set. Daryl and I apparated to Hogsmeade and led everyone into Hogwarts.

We all dined together in the Hogwarts Great Hall in the afternoon, with Minerva's welcome and blessing. Although we had plans to have get togethers like this every full moon, I knew once classes began, the only part of Hogwarts we would be able to use would be my and Severus' classroom. Still, I was grateful to the headmistress for her generosity this month. It would give us time to transform areas of the community centre for the next moon.

I went around and talked to everyone for at least a few minutes during the meal. Many of them were families of only lycans or mostly lycans, having met through Greyback's pack or his allies. This instilled in them pride in their survival, and for some of them, pride in how they thwarted Greyback's efforts during the war.

I showed my appreciation of their survival and rebellion through words of thanks, pats on the back, and words of wisdom that some asked for, usually about how to deal with the wolf inside. 

Every time they asked for that, I told them that I was not any wiser than they were, especially since this was the first time I was part of a pack. But their belief in my abilities had little to do with logic. Nor could I convince them about not having a pack earlier. The ones I said this to did not reply to my claim. But their eyes held a sad knowing in them, as if they were aware of something that I wasn't.

I didn't know what to make of their reactions, but I let my curiosity go in favor of more important matters, like getting to know them.

Eventually I found a chance to pull my Beta aside for some discussion, as I needed to get to know him as well. We also needed to discuss a few more points about the coming night. I wanted to make sure our mates could communicate and that we agreed on how we were guarding the pack in wolf form.

So I took him to the Room of Requirements with a request to demonstrate any skills he had, in case the attack came before the transformations. He did better. He told me how he became my Beta. 

We sat in two high backed chairs, facing each other with a tea tray and chocolates on a table between us. Some of the chocolates contained walnuts, which I hated. I was amused when I realized they were for Daryl. He grabbed for one before he started talking.

"I became a werewolf at age ten, twenty five years ago now. Like you, Greyback bit me personally. But my parents weren't the issue. Apparently, I was. I had been exploring the area behind my parents house and stumbled on his hidden supply of knuts. He found me counting and sorting them into piles in the dirt. So he decided that I should be his accountant, starting that night."

"So he bit me. He broke into my bedroom before the moon rose and transformed right in front of me." Daryl shook his head at my horrified expression. "He was a beast in every sense of the word."

"Didn't your parents try to help you?" I asked, knowing that without my mother's attempts at support, I would have been lost.

"No, my parents thought I invited Greyback to my bedroom, so they disowned me immediately."

I sighed at the ignorance of some of the people around us. "So what did you do?"

"I became his accountant. He let me grow up in a pack of his allies outside Cardiff and then would transfer me around as he needed money or supplies." Daryl said succinctly.

My eyes went wide. This was not what I expected to hear. "Who taught you? I assume you didn't know Arithmetic or Arithmancy in great detail at ten."

My Beta shrugged. "I didn't. But there was an old man who sometimes came to the edge of the pack areas. I thought he was just a drifter at first. But he always brought me books and papers that helped with whatever task I was doing for Greyback. In fact, I first saw your name on a set of papers that helped me with Arithmancy, when I was around 15. The old man concentrated on making sure I had resources on the the subjects I needed, but he also brought me things on charms, defense against the dark arts, some potions, and random muggle textbooks from literature to engineering."

I thought about this. I did remember a time where I had thought Severus had stolen my Arithmancy notes because he didn't go to class for a week. Severus still wasn't an old man, however. But there was one who had seemed very sympathetic to werewolves...

"Did your old man like candy?" I asked casually.

"Yes. He was always handing me lemon drops. Why?"

I laughed. That answer made it very clear who it had been. "Headmaster Dumbledore took my Arithmancy notes for you."

Daryl stared at me. "Then your headmaster was also the one who first pointed Severus out to me."

Now I was surprised. "But Severus said you met at a Death Eater meeting!"

The other man nodded. "We did, though he only remembers the first time I talked to him. He didn't realize I had been watching him at the meetings for years. The first time I saw him was rather prophetic. The old man was just about to leave when the Death Eaters arrived on Greyback's land. He pointed to Severus and said that I should watch him and when my wolf was ready, that I should get to know him. The old man told me that Severus knew my real Alpha. You had just lost your first pack at this point. Somehow, I could feel your pain through the old man. It made me want to learn more."

"My first pack? I never had a pack before this."

"But you did, Alpha. Your pack even had a name." Daryl said this quietly, reverently, as if to speak of this was somehow sacred.

A name? At that point, I realized what the pack knew about me and my past. Tears pierced my eye. The ones these people held in silent esteem were those I mourned for every day since that fateful Halloween night and then again after the Battle of the Hall of Mysteries. "The Marauders would be proud of all of you, as I am."

Daryl bowed his head as if accepting a blessing. "The old man said that I would have a lot to live up to." 

I sighed. "Dumbledore was always good at meddling."

Daryl laughed and handed me a piece of chocolate, one without walnuts. "He didn't lie. So I set to work immediately. The pack resistance to Voldemort grew out of my discussions with him, and watching Severus."

I sat back, getting the feeling that my Beta was a strong leader in his own right. He chose to be second to me. "You led it."

Daryl inclined his head. "My education was somewhat random, but it was more thorough than the rest of pack. And because Greyback trusted me most of the time, I could do plenty behind his back. That became good practice for when I was running a pack behind yours."

I chuckled. "I can't fault what you did in my name. But this will be your next test of Albus' impromptu teaching. Let's see if you know enough to defend the pack before transformation and help Severus during the moon."

So I waved my wand to shift the furniture in the room and sent him through his paces as if he were taking NEWTS in 7th year. He handled himself admirably, though I did have to correct his wandless magic slightly. The fact that he could do it at all, however, was impressive.

I had learned it through a lot of practice in order to grab resources to make the Marauder's Map. If I wasn't waving a wand, nobody knew that I was the one pulling books off the highest shelves in the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts library. My skills received further refinement during my year of teaching and my missions for the Order.

But Daryl had learned the skill because he hadn't had a wand until he was 20. So his technique was crude but very powerful. I told him so, indicating that I wanted him to teach me a few things after the moon. He blushed, but nodded. "It's a shame we must be separated tonight. Severus said you'd need to see me cast in wolf form."

I gasped, astonished. "You can perform spells as a wolf?"

Daryl nodded. "Only when on Wolfsbane, and mostly safety charms. But yes, I can."

So we discussed how he had learned to do them. I would try to copy his technique that night, but I told him even the strongest wizards needed to practice something so complex, so I wouldn't rely on being able to cast in that form. 

Because we would need to rely on people who could do more magic that night, we agreed to spell mirrors for our mates so they could be in constant contact. When our cloaked figure tried to attack Sophie again, they would need to act fast to protect her and the rest of Daryl's side of the pack.

Daryl and I called in our mates to finalize the plans. Some heated arguments sprang up, as our mates tended to have opposing philosophies. After awhile, I became very amused at how Neville rolled his eyes at Severus every time the potions master complained or objected to something.

"I think that boggart is long gone." I muttered to myself when Neville snapped at Severus after the other man complained that he'd get no sleep that night. Neville must have heard me, because he turned around and reached to give me a peck on the lips. "You gave me a reason to get rid of it." Then he turned back to Severus and berated him severely for being unsympathetic of the lycans, who would get no sleep either.

Daryl just laughed. "Severus, give up. You know that Neville knows his place very well and uses it to make sure everyone's treated fairly. Nobody will get any sleep tonight because everyone needs to be on guard."

Severus quieted down after that and simply said he'd catch an hour of sleep before the moon rose. We all agreed that would be a good idea. So I shooed Daryl and Severus to our classroom, which had a sofa in one corner, while Neville and I settled in one of the chairs there in the Room of Requirements for a nap.


	18. Chapter 18

Just before sundown, Daryl and I called for order in the Great Hall and split the pack into their designated groups. Once everyone was sorted, we headed to opposite sides of the large room and prepared to take them to their homes for the night. Daryl passed around portkeys to his group, while I led my charges through the castle and into the Forest.

As I balanced the youngest of us on my hip, I thought back to the partings I and the children had had before our human family members had adjourned to the DADA classroom and the lunchroom of the community centre. Smiles warred with tears as I walked and remembered.

===

Because I was unsure of the children's transformation times (they tend to be earlier and less predictable than those of adults), Barrett and I said our goodbyes to Neville and Teddy before sundown. Half of the others around us were doing the same. My group knew the safety of the children was paramount, so they were all preparing to leave almost 45 minutes before Daryl's portkeys activated.

After checking his list of preparations, Neville hugged us both tightly and wished us a 'good moon'. Teddy must have liked the phrase because he repeated it to Barry and me before changing his hair to match the color of my wolf form. He always did that for the night of the moon, whether he was with me or someone else. It was a way to comfort himself, Harry had once told me. Teddy would run his fingers through his hair as if he were petting me when we were separated.

Happy to see that he was making his personal preparations for the moon, I smiled and hugged Teddy. 

Then I took Barry's hand and went to the Cavendishs to gather Claire. Theirs was a less content parting, as nobody knew what the fate of the toddler would be once the moon rose. I approached the family slowly, giving Sophie and Mark as much time as possible to cuddle their child. But when Neville's watch rang its alarm, I carefully interrupted them.

Sophie started to cry when she handed her daughter to me. "Take good care of her, Alpha. If she can't transform, please take away her pain." She turned away quickly, letting Mark hold her while she sobbed out her anguish.

Knowing there was little I could do to comfort the mother, I gathered Claire in my arms gently. She settled there without a sound, as if she recognized me. I took that as a good sign. She knew her Alpha, so the wolf pup must be somewhere inside her. But that didn't mean the worst couldn't happen. So I said, "I have created a space just for the children's change. If I need to intervene for Claire, I will put her outside our boundary wards before I transform. Mark will be able to retrieve her quickly."

Sophie smiled through her tears. "Thank you. She will bear your blessings as she goes to Merlin's domain."

The most uncomfortable part of being this pack's Alpha was the almost worshipful attitude some of the members had towards me. But this was not the time to tell them that I was as human as they were. So I just sighed as I shifted the child to a better spot on my shoulder. "I will do my best to keep her pain to a minimum."

Mark and Sophie accepted this with a bow of their heads. But my statement could not take away their worry for their child. I could feel their eyes follow my every move as I gathered my other charges.

===

I led everyone to the entrance of our boundary wards. There, I undressed the two children and myself quickly. Our clothes were deposited into one of the spelled boxes that sat outside the wards. Luckily, it was a warm August night, so I didn't need to worry about either of them becoming chilled before the moon rose.

Then I took Barry and Claire inside the wards, to a corner that I had set up specifically for their transformations. I sat on the rock nestled there and put Claire on my lap. The adult pack members kept their distance from us as they entered the enclosure, even though the ward entrance was right next to our corner. They had been told that the children were my personal responsibility and were not to be touched unless I requested it. But that did not stop a good number of them from bowing towards me as they walked past us to the rest of the area.

I acknowledged their respect with a nod, but did not say anything. My focus now was on the child in my arms and the one playing in the dirt at my feet.

Children often transform at the first hint of the moon's pull, so I was not surprised when Barry began to change within five minutes of us settling into our corner.

Because he had been able to transform once before, I was able to watch him with some detachment. I ticked off the changing body parts in my head as I watched the wolf tear him apart and reassemble itself.

As the wolf emerged, the conscious part of the boy screamed in pain. I could not reach out to comfort him at this point, so I softly hummed the song Sirius would sing while he waited for me to transform in the Shack. I'm not sure why my first mate liked singing the Beatles at that point, but we were all getting on "With a little help from our friends". The tune helped me focus and comforted me, so it seemed appropriate. Luckily, it also seemed to calm the boy slightly.

But right before Barry finished his transformation, the child in my lap began to whimper. Claire's wispy blonde hair was starting to mat down with sweat, but nothing else was happening. A moment later, she started to scream without an accompanying body shift. I shuddered when I saw her anguish. The worst was about to happen. Claire didn't have enough magic to transform. The wolf inside her would tear her apart, but never emerge.

I could hear the women a few feet from me murmur worriedly, but they obeyed my earlier command. Nobody came near me. If I had to kill the child, I would do it alone.

But before I said a wandless Killing Curse, I drew on my knowledge, for the child's life and for my sanity. Two days ago, I had found an old spell in one of the books I had borrowed from Neville to aid us in setting up the wards. The page in the book had been magically marked, so it had fallen open to that spot the moment I picked it up. The mark bore Hermione Granger's signature, but as far as I knew, she had never used the spell. Instead, my second mate had used it to save my life.

I hoped the spell would be able to perform its miracle a second time. "Magica Potentia." I whispered, looking into the young one's amber flecked blue eyes. A moment later, an invisible wave of power was drawn from me and into the child. Then Claire began to transform in my arms, so I laid her gently on the ground.

I had another second to hear my mate sigh with relief from the charmed mirror we had tied to a tree in this corner of the enclosure. Then Moony let out a growl from my mouth, and I rolled away from the pups as my own transformation took over.


	19. Chapter 19

Once everyone was in wolf form, I led the pups over to Albert, my Second and their babysitter for the night. As I did, I realized the whole group had become our audience.

All the adults wolves were eyeing Barry speculatively, as he was my lycan heir. He was an impressive sight. His fur was dark, almost black. The contrast with his amber eyes made them shine even more than the moon did. Claire's white coat, however, gleamed on the tiny figure as I guided her carefully to the centre of our area. I showed them off to the pack with as much pride as their parents would. But after a few moments, I took on my mantle of pack guardian.

As I started my rounds, I could hear Neville's group assembling outside the wards, but could not see them. We had spelled the wards to look like walls to keep those not on Wolfsbane from hurting themselves trying to attack our human family members.

But being fully aware of myself, I moved close to the boundary so I could listen to my mate's voice for a moment. He was near the entrance, apparently appealing to Mark Cavendish. "Mark, she's fine. I promise. You saw her in the mirror. Isn't she beautiful?" I didn't hear a reply, but I did hear a small choking of a sob and a clearing of the throat next to Neville.

I couldn't blame Mark for his disbelief. Claire's death had been so close that I had felt Moony tremble a second before we transformed.

But with the father calming down, I knew my mate was stationing people at various points to make sure the Centaurs, Aracnids, and other creatures of the Forbidden Forest did not try to break into our enclosure.

I sat by the entrance so I could hear their assembly. 

My tail wagged as I realized that all was going as planned. It wagged even more when a very familiar hand reached through the wards to stroke my head before pulling it out and letting the wards shut tight again.

With my mate's reassurance, I went back to watching over the wolves. I broke up a fight, wrestled with some younger ones, then watched the two youngest scamper about.

Then suddenly, chaos broke out.

Our only warnings were a yell from Mark Cavendish, who was outside the ward entrance, and a thud.

A second later, there was a human female standing just inside the ward entrance. My wolf senses perceived her only dimly. But I swore I could smell something...

Her presence set off a frenzy of motion. The wolves not on the potion, including the two children, lunged to attack her. So I stood in front of her to get them to back off. I had heard that it was possible for an alpha to save a human (usually their mate) from other wolves, but I didn't actually expect it to work with the random human.

But they stopped attacking. The two children began to whimper in pain, because the curse was compelling them to tear the human apart. I quickly realized that I needed to get her out of there as soon as possible.

Because of all I had to keep track of, I found myself rather confused by the situation. So I did not connect this stray human to Sophie's attacker at first, although I should have.

But that connection came to me as soon as she hit me with a Crucio and caused me to howl.

This time Albert lunged at her, to get her to stop. She swung her wand his way when he was in midair and hexed him unconscious. I could see his prone body on the ground before she hit me with another Crucio and I nearly fell unconscious myself.

After that, all that I could make out through the pain were the humans yelling and scrambling.

It may have been minutes or hours later when I was finally freed from the pain. Once it stopped, I felt the air contraction of someone apparating, then a moment later a second contraction. The second was accompanied by a chorus of gasps and yells. But at that point, the pain had exhausted me so badly that I couldn't lift my head to find out what happened.

But it wasn't long after that when I felt my pack fall unconscious as some kind of spell was cast. I was still conscious, however, as I was levitated to a spot outside the enclosure.

A moment later, my mate was wrapped around me, comforting me. Some distance away, I could hear Severus speaking. "Albert, you'll have to take over for the rest of the night. Do you want me to take the children to isolation?"

Albert barked once, a code we had worked out as 'No.'

With that, he was sent back into the enclosure. Before he left us, my Second came over to sniff at me. He whimpered softly until I moved to lick the end of his muzzle, assuring him I'd be fine with time.

Once Albert was back with the pack, Neville shifted so he rested behind me, petting me to help calm my body. Severus sat on the ground in front of me so I could see him as he spoke.

"Your caution was definitely warranted, but not for the reason we expected. That woman never came to our site. From her actions, she looked to be after you and you alone this time."

Severus ran a shaky hand through his lank hair. "When I got here, I thought she had already killed you. The untreated ones were howling as if in mourning. But luckily, your stubborn attempt to get up a moment later told us otherwise. Albert was awake by this point and helped us get you out so we could treat you. Your morning transformation will be more painful, I suspect, but I will have some potions handy to help."

"The worst part is that she got away again," Neville murmured into my fur. "But now we know what she looks like, and we all could tell that Stevie was right, she does smell like ice cream."

I nodded my head to indicate that I understood, then laid my muzzle back on the ground and closed my eyes. I could feel Severus pouring a potion on me that Neville massaged into my fur. I could also dimly hear the mirror at Severus' side murmur with reports from the humans watching the community centre site. This was all comforting, so I slowly started to drift off.

Then I felt the ground shift in front of me, startling me enough that I opened my eyes.

Mark Cavendish was on his knees, looking terrified.

"Alpha, I know who attacked you."


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I looked up the details of the 'glamour' charm, and realized it was non-canon, so I changed it to suit my needs. It makes more sense to me this way anyway. Oh, and I'm torturing Roman legend in the next chapter.

"The one who attacked you is our babysitter," Mark murmured towards the ground. "We hired her two months ago. She came highly recommended from the rest of the pack."

I blinked up at Mark, not wanting to make any sudden moves in my wolf form that would scare or upset him further. But I needed some answers. So, a moment later, I turned my head toward my haunches. Behind me was someone who would understand my actions. This time I growled.

Neville, knowing that the threatening sound wasn't directed at him, shook his head. "I have no idea who that is. People share the werewolf friendly services all the time. I was more concerned with them having a place to get that information than checking on the services themselves."

I growled again, then turned back to the other man. Mark's head was nearly on the ground in front of me, so I nosed his hair gently.

When he straightened a little to look at me, I cocked my head in question.

Mark took a deep breath to calm himself, then said, "Her name is Mother Lyca."

The name meant nothing to me, and when I turned to the two other humans, they shook their heads. 

Then Neville spoke up, addressing Mark. "Can you give us and the Aurors a description of her?"

"W-What? You saw her." Mark wrung his hands nervously.

My mate projected calm as he explained, "I saw a glamour, a shimmer distorting her features. Right now you are the only one who can confirm her identity."

"Why could he see her?" Severus looked at Mark suspiciously.

I growled softly at Severus, but Neville laid a hand on my head to calm me. "She apparated directly in front of him. I saw that out of the corner of my eye. You can't maintain a glamour while apparating."

Severus nodded, satisfied. Then he lit a small fire and put his mirror in front of it. After muttering a quick spell, he reached into his robes and pulled out some floo powder. Throwing it on the fire, he intoned "Shacklebolt residence."

Given it was the middle of the night, I didn't expect Kingsley to appear in the fire. But after about two minutes, his face rose above the kindling. "This better be an emergency. " One look at Severus' face assured the Head Auror that it was. "Did your attacker kill the parents?" 

"No, she attacked our Alpha." Severus let out a growling noise as if he were a wolf himself. I was sure that he felt offended by the way the woman had gotten past all of our planning. 

Kingsley took off his nightcap, looking rather worried. "I was afraid of something like this. Is Remus ok?"

Severus shifted on the ground so Kingsley could see me. "Two hits from a Crucitus curse. Between that and the two transformations, he will be recovering for a few days. We were unable to detain her, but we have a description and I was able to ward off the area where Lupin was attacked."

Kingsley shook his head. "I'm glad you took all those precautions then. I'll come over now to collect what evidence I can and have Harry and Ron question the lycans that are on Wolfsbane in the morning. Is it possible to question the mates of the others?"

Neville smiled. "You did your research."

Kingsley shrugged. "Since we're not getting support from the Wizengamot for this investigation, we need everything we can get. So any impressions the human mates got from the wolves may be necessary."

My mate looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, "I'll gather the humans together. Moon fall is in an hour. We'll need you to stay away from the enclosure until about a half hour after that."

The Head Auror agreed and said he'd apparate to Hogsmeade then make his way into Hogwarts.

So for the next hour, I was allowed to sleep while the Aurors started their work.

===

I awoke to find Claire Cavendish snuggled to me in wolf form and Barry sniffing around the area Severus had quickly warded last night so I could recover from the attack. I had slept through my transformation back to human thanks to the care I had gotten.

So my pack decided that I was the best one to see to the children during this change as well. Since the moon holds the children in its grip until the very last moment, someone (I suspected Albert) brought them to me.

Claire was unlikely to need help with the morning change because our magic knew the human form best, but I watched her just in case. Once both children successfully made it back to that state, I hugged them, then led them to retrieve our clothes and make our way back into the castle.

When we made it back to the Great Hall, the Aurors had questioned all of the humans and were now beginning to pull the tired wolves into classrooms for questioning, both about last night's incident and the identity of one "Mother Lyca".

The Aurors were sensitive to the exhausted state most of us were in. Volunteers were questioned first while those who were too exhausted napped in other rooms. To my tired eyes, the gathering of people seemed rather chaotic, so it took me a few minutes to find Mark Cavendish. But once I did, I handed him his child back with a calm smile. "You have a very well behaved daughter. She played with Barry all night, even after the scare when the moon rose."

Mark smiled back, willing to accept what I said now that he could see that we were both fine, for lycans right after the moon.  "Will she need your help next moon, Alpha?"

"Given that she is the youngest that I've ever seen survive, I think her transformations should be watched at least for the next six moons, or longer if she has further trouble. And yes, I will see to it personally whenever I can. I will teach the other leads the spell for her as well."

"Thank you, Alpha." Mark bowed his head. I nodded my acknowledgement, then picked up Barry, so I wouldn't lose him in the chaos of the castle as we tried to find our family.

Luckily, Neville and Teddy were in the DADA classroom. Teddy must have heard about what had happened to me, because there were scars on his face. "How is he?" I asked Neville as he hugged me tight. 

Neville looked over to where Teddy was showing some toys to Barry. "I couldn't prevent him from hearing. But I told him that Severus took good care of you. That seemed to help."

But I couldn't just let him be. I knew Teddy needed some attention from me. So I sat on the floor in front of my biological son and let him crawl into my lap. Holding him eased his fears after a difficult moon. He clutched at me for a bit, slowly being reassured that I was still there with him.

In the middle of this, Kingsley came in and asked to question me before he showed me what was known so far.  Understanding that my son came first, he waited patiently until I persuaded Teddy to rest on the couch with Barry. Then he took me into the office I shared with Severus.


	21. Chapter 21

When we sat down together, I found that I could only give Kingsley general impressions of the attack. Too much had happened too fast. And the pain of the Crucio seemed to have wiped my memory at some points.

We both felt frustrated rather quickly, as Kingsley knew that I had a habit of picking up details. So, rather than upsetting us both, the Auror decided to forgo further questioning and just show me what he had so far.

The pack had divulged that Mother Lyca was a human known to most of the lycans. She had made no attempt to disguise herself to any of them. They all agreed that physically, she was tall, with long white hair and looked rather stately. She was generally kind and maternal. Her control of magic had appeared nonthreatening and seemed to be strongest with spells for cleaning and childcare.

She had been housecleaner, babysitter, and general aide for most of the lycans who had been in a pack before this, at one point or another. She had often baked for the families, so the ones questioned weren't sure if she had always smelled of vanilla or not. But those who had hired her lately thought it had been her perfume that smelled like that because the scent always surrounded her.

Kingsley then told me that most of the pack had been shown the jewelry I found at the quidditch field where Stevie's parents were attacked. None of them were sure that the silver necklace and charm were hers. She often wore high necked clothing, which could hide the baubles. But many of the werewolves shied away from even looking at the necklaces after a first glance. I told Kingsley of Greyback's fanatics, who had worn the jewelry even though they were burned by it. After a few minutes of discussion, he promised to have Harry or Ron find more information on Greyback's packs.

So we knew Mother Lyca ingratiated herself with the newest members of the pack from the beginning. In fact, those from Greyback's packs believed she had started there as some kind of pack helper. But nobody had ever felt threatened by her or been hurt by her before. In fact, many of the pack were in shock from hearing that she had been the one attacking me. Kingsley had compared it to someone finding out their favorite aunt was beating up on the father they loved.

Though they liked her a great deal, none of the pack actually knew much about her. Nobody knew where she lived. Nobody knew how long she had been among the werewolves, or where she had come from.

Nobody knew why she was attacking us. 

Those unknowns had become very worrisome, especially for the three that had protected the pack since its beginning.

Severus told Kingsley that he was worried because she had handled some of the Wolfsbane goblets after he had dropped them off for the wolves. He had already switched to using sealed bottles, like the ones he had given Daryl and me this month. But that wasn't enough with all these unknowns. He and Neville were working on a way to make sure that Severus knew exactly what was in each bottle up until the moment the person drank it.

Neville and Daryl worried about potential pack members who had not been completely checked out. Those in the process of being approved would not know of the incidents and could be fooled by her somewhat matronly demeanor. Also of concern were the pack members and other werewolves outside Britain. We could have the Ministry send out a warning here, but other countries had other rules. Kingsley believed if she fled Britain, we'd have a much more serious problem on our hands. So he made a fake case to assign Harry and Ron to, allowing them to work on our issues exclusively.

There was also the concern that Mother Lyca had allies among us. So we all would have to step carefully, but not too carefully. Or we might isolate ourselves from each other.

Then we talked about the attack on me. Kingsley was not sure how she had gotten through the wards. He knew exactly how they had been set, as he had helped us with them. But the breaking of them seemed rather easy, from most people's accounts. So Hermione was investigating how this might have been accomplished.

Oddly enough, most of the observers on Wolfsbane reported being shocked not only by the fact that Mother Lyca was there and attacking me, but also that she appeared to be provoking me. She seemed to want me to attack her in return.

Throughout our conversation, the heads of the pack had lingered outside my door. Because of their concern for my safety, Kingsley had agreed to not muffle our conversation, as long as it was only Neville, Severus and Daryl watching out for me. So Daryl, with his sharp wolf hearing, had heard Kingsley's statement. A moment later, he came into the classroom, and offered an idea that neither Kingsley or I had heard of. "I believe she thinks the fable about Born Alphas is true."

"What fable?" I asked, perplexed. 

Daryl stood next to and behind me, acting as my guard. Once he settled into place, he said, "That being bitten by a Born Alpha will make you one. It comes from the legend of Romulus and Remus."

At that I looked up at Daryl in shock. Daryl nodded. "Many of the pack believe we are blessed by Merlin himself. Because our Alpha is the namesake of the original werewolf, who many believe was the original Born Alpha."

He moved closer as he talked, obviously knowing the tale well. "Romulus cursed Remus when Remus wouldn't agree to build their city on the hill Romulus chose. The curse was to set wolves on Remus to torture and kill him. But because the two had been raised by a wolf during their first year, the wolves simply started following him around. He treated them as family, and they took him in because he needed a place to hide from his brother. Romulus soon found him, however, and cursed him again. This time to become one of the wolves. Romulus then stabbed his brother with a silver dagger during the transformation, killing him. But before his death was complete, Remus bit one of Romulus' guards in an animalistic attempt to get away. In that way, the curse was transformed into a frenzied search for human blood, because his magic combined with his brother's curse to echo his last moments.

"It was said that that guard was also followed by wolves but shunned humans for their safety after he was bit until some humans started following him too. The first pack was then humans and wolves living side by side."

I shook my head, not believing any of it. "If the curse worked the way it does in that story, everyone would be a Born Alpha."

Daryl nodded. "It's legend. I don't know of anyone who believes that it's completely true. But those who believe parts of it pay attention to what Remus did, but not to Romulus' guard. If the people were real in some form, and Remus was the first lycan, he probably was as twisted as his brother. The guard, Dassan, was probably the first Born Alpha."

That made more sense. "More than likely. But people see what they want to see."

Kingsley made a note. "So Mother Lyca is a woman with aspirations and delusions of grandeur concerning werewolves. That means all the pack heads are probably in danger. You should have a guard with you until this is over, Remus."

I shook my head. I would not be cowed by this woman. "Neville told me he was one of your trainees until he realized how difficult it would be if anyone found out he was a werewolf's mate. He will have to do."

Kingsley tried to get me to take one of the younger full Aurors as a guard, but I was adamant in my refusal. So he left with an admonishment to tell him if any further incidents occurred.


	22. Chapter 22

The pack all went back to their homes once the Auror questioning was finished. After all the tension of that morning and the night before, I wanted some time alone with my family. So I convinced Neville that we should retreat to my flat, rather than the cottage. I knew he saw the cottage as the home we would make together, but right at that moment, I needed someplace familiar.

It also had the advantage of being close to my Beta. If Daryl felt it necessary to watch over me, he could do it from the comfort of his own home.

We spent a comfortable rest of the day at the flat, though Neville fussed way too much. I was glad that I wasn't the sole recipient of his fussing. And I was truly happy that Barry had someone to care for him this time.

The next day, feeling much better, I insisted on teaching the class on cleaning charms that I had planned for the community centre. Neville and Daryl exchanged worried glances, but both knew me well enough to know that trying to stop me would be detrimental to all of us.

When I got to the community centre, everyone appeared haunted. Unlike the lively banter and activity that was present the first day I had seen the place, now there was melancholy and fear. Mother Lyca had badly disturbed even the most calm of us.

But I could see them all looking to me on how to proceed. So I set up my supplies for class and, at the correct time, gently encouraged people to join me in the room.

This proved to be a good distraction for all of us. For a short period of time, there was curiousity, wonder and laughter instead of fear.

That helped us persevere when we found challenges from Mother Lyca throughout the next couple weeks, as if she was taunting us.

===

The week after the full moon, Mother Lyca went after our friends.

We suspected that she found out we were working with the Aurors, because Ron had found a plate of cookies in the office he shared with Harry two days after their investigation of our moon area. Ron thought it was from me, as there was a picture of a wolf on a card next to the plate, and the words 'Thank you' in the card.

Luckily, Harry came in just as Ron was about to take a cookie and stopped his friend, reminding him to be more cautious. Although Ron was sure the sweets were from me, Harry's ingrained caution kicked in when he didn't see my initials in the card. He knew that that three out of the 4 leaders of my pack were extremely meticulous people and would identify themselves. And he assumed the 4th, Daryl, would as well, because Severus would most likely cuff him if he didn't.

His caution paid off, because when he cast a spell to reveal magic (luckily, I taught him that one well), he found that a potion had been used on them.

As the spell could detect the presence of a potion, but not the type, Harry called for Kingsley immediately. Luckily, Kingsley had enough potions knowledge to identify the sleeping draught in the cookies. They also found a single grey hair next to the plate. They could not identify the owner, but they saved it because they believed they would match it with its owner soon.

When Kingsley told me about the incident later, he said that both young men began to double their efforts to find Mother Lyca at this point. They didn't want to leave me and the pack vulnerable, as that was what they believed the tainted sweets were intended to do. 

===

The next week, she went after our children.

We had become very cautious about watching over the children because of what she had done before the pack had come to me. But that was easier to do with the younger ones. 

Stevie and two 12 year old twins, Andrew and Jules Franklin, ended up learning their own version of caution.

The twins had invited Stevie to go exploring with them on the outskirts of London, where a few of the werewolves worked in the shops. They would often go from store to store, saying hello and sometimes getting treats for helping out.

One of the stores they went into was a jewelry store. The werewolf clerk, Albert Jamison, watched them carefully, but the boys were well behaved. They just looked around and asked him questions about some necklaces, as the twins' mother had a birthday coming up.

As Albert and the twins were looking at a particular item in a display case, a crash came from the corner where Stevie had been examining some crystal pieces, as he liked the mathematical precision of prisms.

Albert swore that the storage box on the counter had been locked, but somehow it had tipped open and was pouring silver jewelry onto Stevie. As neither twin was a werewolf, they ran over ahead of Albert to pull the younger boy away from the box.

Albert was able to treat the small burns Stevie had sustained. He had figured it was just an accident. But when he had asked the twins to help clean up, Jules found one of the Greyback necklaces among the muggle jewelry.

===

The week leading up to the next full moon, she came after our leaders.

The centre was bustling that week, as it was the first time it would be used for Wolfsbane distribution. We were setting up the lunch room with welcoming signs, making sure our private rooms were warded, and setting up meetings with the other pack Alphas.

Then the day for the first distribution came. Severus brought in a huge cauldron of the potion along with plenty of bottles for those who could only make it to the centre that day.

Because this was the day that any werewolf who wanted Ministry-sponsored Wolfsbane *had* to come, we were expecting a lot of people. So we all treated the centre as a diplomacy area. We all dressed well to meet the other packs and did our best to make them feel welcome.

Claire Cavendish, Barry and I ended up being the must-see people of the event. Most werewolves who survived Greyback's childhood attacks did so at age 10 or older. So our pack, with three werewolves who survived being bitten before age five, was now legendary.  Especially since what I did for Claire during the last full moon had been reported to the other packs. To keep everything organized, I asked Sophie and Mark if I could watch Claire. I then took her and Barry to a corner where I could control some of the more overzealous people who had been trying to grab the children to get a look at them.

But in all the confusion, I lost sight of my mate. I saw him weaving through the crowds periodically, and he came over to give Barry and me lunch at noon, and to pry Teddy away from Severus for a few moments. But then I didn't see Neville after that. I couldn't even catch sight of him when the centre began to empty out. 

The reason for this bothered me a great deal when I discovered it. Towards the end of our open house, Albert grabbed me and dragged me to one of the private rooms. There, Neville was held to a chair with a binding charm, his mouth also bound shut.

"I apologize, Alpha. I didn't see anyone head to the private rooms. I only realized he was in here when I began to reopen some of them." Albert whispered as I quickly approached Neville to see what was necessary to undo the charm.

My mate was calm as he looked up at me. As he could still nod or shake his head, I asked if he saw or heard the person who cast the spell. He shook his head and shrugged.

So I whispered a "Finite Incantatem," and was shocked when that was enough to release him...all except his hands. Somehow, they had been bound behind his back with a rope. I cut the rope with my wand. When I pulled it off him, three vanilla bean pods fell out of it. I sighed and showed them to Neville and Albert, who looked back at me worriedly.

Nobody had gotten hurt, this time around. But we knew Mother Lyca had no fear of killing. 

And that frightened all of us.


	23. Chapter 23

Mother Lyca's taunts became more threatening the closer we got to the full moon. In fact, that was when she threatened my family. But in doing so, she gave us vital information.

On the third day of the Wolfsbane distribution, the people in the centre consisted mostly of my pack members and the heads of a few other packs, who were arranging to transport the rest of the week's Wolfsbane back to their areas.

It was a relaxed time. There was no need for the rush and confusion that we were all dealing with the first day. So we ended up being rather lax about watching Severus' cauldron. And our lapse nearly cost us our safety. 

It must have happened right after lunch. Severus and I had decided to help Greg Landis, the head of the biggest Welsh pack, load the rest of the Wolfsbane they needed for the week into his muggle truck. Landis had brought his own bottles to not deplete our supplies, so we were lugging some heavy boxes.

Severus warded the cauldron before we moved the boxes. He set it so that it combined with a cooling spell, as that seemed to make the Wolfsbane potion slightly more palatable. 

He had used my technique of intertwining wards with other spells to make both stronger. But that tended to also make them more vulnerable to a counterspell. So when our backs were turned, Mother Lyca came in and hit the ward with a warming spell, which snapped both the cooling spell and the ward.

When we came back in, we didn't realize anything was wrong, as Severus tends to keep his wards invisible. So he found the goblets for the doses Daryl and I needed to take and waved his wand to dispel the non-existent ward. But then Stevie, who had just arrived from maths camp asked "Why isn't the pot smoking, Prince?" 

Severus startled, as Wolfsbane is supposed to smoke until it is drunk. But none of us had noticed that it had stopped until Stevie arrived. So the potions master stared at the cauldron, then into the cauldron. Then he swore enough to put Sirius to shame. He was so upset by this development that he didn't even scold Stevie for dropping the Mr. in public.

"Severus?" After a long silence in which my friend continued to stare at the cauldron, I nudged him carefully. 

My prodding must have given him some focus, because then Severus waved his wand over the cauldron. He swore again as the contents turned from greyish to purple. "Sugar was added." he groaned, nearly doubling over in his shock. When he finally looked at me, I could see in his eyes that he felt foolish. He had been looking for something complicated that would make the potion inert, when it was really very simple.

Once I knew that the Wolfsbane was useless (as it's best not to disturb the active potion by using too many spells around it), I cast a Specialis Revelio around the cauldron and found the warming spell that Mother Lyca had used. It took me a moment to realize that the spell had broken the ward, as I had forgotten about the cooling spell. But when I had it sorted out in my head, I did my own swearing. We both had been fooled by rather simple things.

Once I revealed the broken ward, the potions master sighed and said that he'd take us to Spinner's End, where he had the next batch of Wolfsbane finished.

I, in turn, ran outside to where Mark Cavendish was talking to Greg Landis. I immediately pulled Mark aside to talk to him, as both our discoveries had relevance to Sophie's attack on Claire. Mark revealed that yes, Mother Lyca had been watching Claire the day the child had been bitten and therefore would have had access to Sophie's Wolfsbane bottle. The sugar for the tea was not far from where they kept the bottle. He had also used the same cooling spell as Severus in his boundary wards. It had been very hot that day, and he had been trying to keep Sophie cool while she stayed outside.

I sighed as I leaned against the centre's outside wall. I couldn't help but berate myself. We had been so foolish. We had used a similar cooling spell combined with the wards around the entrance to the Forbidden Forest area during the first moon of the month. I had wanted to keep the children as comfortable as possible until they transformed. She had used that spot to make her presence known by hitting it with a warming spell.

But we weren't the only ones fooled by this woman.

While I was swearing at my lapse, Greg Landis came up to me, looking rather contrite. He had seen an older woman who said she had come for Wolfsbane for a friend who could not travel. He told her that he was asking the potions master to load his truck, but that he'd make sure Severus went back into the centre to help her when he was finished. Landis had assumed that the woman joined us inside while he was talking to Mark.

I sighed and thanked the other Alpha for his information.

We were lucky Mother Lyca did not succeed in cutting us off from the potion. She had almost made Daryl and me feral for this month's full moon. This would have made us more vulnerable to her because the curse would be in control. The stakes were getting higher.

===

Her final interference, the day before the full moon, had both Moony and I growling.

I was at Hogwarts with Severus, planning out the final notes of our new curriculum when Neville burst into our room, looking haggard and out of breath. Worriedly, I moved towards my mate. "Neville, what's wrong?"

"Barry and Teddy have been kidnapped." He nearly yelled, his movements agitated. He couldn't sit down. The minute he tried, he got up again and paced back and forth.

It took me a moment to comprehend what he had said. But when I did, I stumbled back in shock. "How?!"

Then Neville explained. He and the boys had been playing ball outside the cottage. As they were young, the boys spent most of their time chasing the big blue ball Neville had charmed, rather than catching it. But the three of them had been having fun, so it continued this way until the ball landed at the edge of the wooded area that surrounded to cottage. Teddy went to retrieve the ball just as Barry tripped over something in the grass by Neville's feet and fell.

Neville took his eyes off Teddy to pick Barry up. When my mate looked up, Teddy was gone, but the ball was still sitting by a tree.

Neville ran over to the ball, looking frantically for Teddy. Of course, Barry started yelling Teddy's name when Neville did. But then Barry's voice cut off abruptly. Neville looked around and found that Barry, too, was gone. 

Neville went into the woods, frantically calling for both boys, but found no sign of them. Instead, hanging from a branch of the tree above the ball were two pendants on a long chain. One pendant was the silver wolf representing Greyback. The second was the sign of my pack, the moon with three scar-slashes through it. The slashes were charmed to drip what looked like blood.

Once Neville realized what had happened, he quickly sent a Patronus to Daryl. Somebody needed to watch the cottage in case the boys returned. Once Daryl arrived, Neville apparated straight to Hogsmeade and ran through the castle to get to me.

As he finished his story, he held up the chain he had pulled from the tree branch. My sign, the one that had been dripping red fluid, now had it leaking so fast that it ran down Neville's arm in rivulets, staining his robe.

I could only hope this wouldn't be echoed with the blood of our children.


	24. Chapter 24

Once I calmed down enough to act, Neville and I ran through the castle to the apparation point in Hogsmeade. We left in such a hurry that Severus shouted after us that he would firecall the Aurors and check in with Daryl by the time we reached the cottage.

He kept his promise. When we approached the cottage front door, we could see that Daryl was talking to Kingsley and Ron on the porch, while Harry and Hermione were looking for clues near where the big blue ball still sat at the edge of the yard.

Our assigned Aurors were immediately all business when we walked onto the porch, asking for details that Daryl didn't know. So, Neville handed the chain to Kingsley, which he had put in a charmed bag that didn't leak, while repeating the story he had just told me. 

Both Aurors listened intently. It was obvious that they needed somewhere to start their investigation, and were hoping we would supply it. It seemed that we did when Ron commented that "Apparating with a squirming kid in your arms would be nearly impossible. But how else could the boys disappear that quickly?"

Kingsley nodded at Ron's observation but noted that Mother Lyca's apparation skills seemed rather good, so they couldn't leave out that possibility. But just then, Hermione called that they found an impression in the ground a few feet away from where Teddy was taken. A minute later, Harry yelled that he found wood splinters all over the ground behind the impression.

All of us ran over to see what they had found. We let Kingsley and Ron examine the area until the Head Auror pulled me over to the rectangular impression on the ground. "How wide is the Hogwarts Vanishing Cabinet?"

I stared at the marks on the ground. "About that wide. But the cabinet is still in the Room of Requirements."

Kingsley didn't appear surprised. "There are still people who make them, down in Knockturn Alley. Some of them are rather cheap. They make them out of shoddy wood. Even that muggle fake wood can be charmed to act as a cabinet." He picked up one of the splinters from the ground. It fell apart in his fingers.

"But wouldn't Neville have heard whatever was used to destroy it?" I asked and turned to my mate. Neville shrugged and looked to the others for help.

By then, Severus had arrived in the yard. "It was a poof potion." he muttered, examining one of the splinters. "It wouldn't have made a very loud sound. The cabinet would have been destroyed in a 'poof'. And it can be timed, much like a muggle war weapon. You just need to use the right charm."

"I thought I heard the centre door slam while I was searching," Neville moaned. "I didn't pay it any attention, as it slams most of the time. What I heard was probably the cabinet..."

I squeezed my mate's hand. I knew he thought if he had seen the cabinet fall apart, we would have more clues. But I doubted he could have done anything.

In fact, we were mostly at the end of what we could investigate at that moment. Ron made notes with a self-writing quill as we talked and he examined the area. "Would the splinters be able to tell us where the other cabinet is?"

"Unfortunately, no." Kingsley sighed. "And they can be disguised as ordinary cabinets, so unless we have a place to start, looking for the second could take years."

I wrung my hands, wanting to do something to rescue our boys, but not knowing what would actually get me to them. 

But I was not alone in my anguish, and my mate knew we needed each other. Neville wrapped me in his arms and pulled my head against his shoulder so he could whisper in my ear. "We'll find them."

I hoped he was right. The full moon was a day away, which would cause our elder child to transform. I couldn't help but think that Mother Lyca wanted Barry to kill his new brother.

===

The Aurors stayed on patrol in the yard behind the cottage and the woods beyond. But I had no choice but to prepare for the full moon.

The fact that we had planned so thoroughly last month made the pack's preparation easy for Daryl, as he realized very quickly that I was no use to him in the worried state I was in.

Severus said later that he went around with Daryl and took stock of everyone who was on or not on Wolfsbane properly and checked on Sophie and Claire. They then warded the area behind the centre, with the help of Kingsley and Harry. The group decided to keep everyone together this time. Although they might be putting Stevie and Claire in harm's way, they knew that Neville and I needed all the support we could get.

Severus took notes on everything that was done. Although I had no interest in their preparations at that moment, he knew I'd want to study it later for our future moons.

My skeptical friend was rather impressed with how the pack handled themselves under the strain. They copied some of the things I had done last moon, like checking on each other and making sure everyone had time with their families and to relax. Many of them believed that their preparation would help Neville and I weather the strain we were under.

As for Neville and I, we suffered through a very difficult day. We were in a daze most of the time as we waited for the next report from Kingsley or Ron. But the only thing they had to report was no change in anything, which sent us both back into our daze of waiting.

But come nightfall, Moony made his presence known inside me by letting out a growl. He, too, worried about the missing pups, but this would be the only time this month he had with our mate. He wanted his time.

So I dragged Neville to the cottage basement, where we repeated the wrestling match we had last month. But this time, we growled and bit at each other with a bitter edge.

My calm had broken. But rather than being panicked, as I was when I first saw the pack, now I was incensed. I had a life, a job, friends, a pack, and a family. But our joy at being together was spoiled by that bitch and her want of our children. So Neville and I wounded each other because we could not wound her.

And when we reached the edge, our climax was a shout of vengeance.

But at last, our energy was spent. When we came down from the high, we curled around each other and sobbed. We held each other and shared our strength. Because we suspected that at moonrise tomorrow, we would be fighting for our family.


	25. Chapter 25

Neville and I had to drag ourselves out of bed the next morning. We didn't want to face the day knowing the boys were away from us, most likely being manipulated by that bitch. And we could do nothing to change that until the right clues came along. But once we got out of bed, we went downstairs to find that the pack was making our lives a little easier. 

Severus and Daryl had let a few people into the cottage to "coddle you into a reasonable state." There was breakfast and tea waiting for us, along with reports from various people.

The reports consisted of the lists of people and supplies for that night's transformation, the menu for the afternoon meal, and accounts given to the Aurors about Mother Lyca. Apparently some people had gone to Severus for Occlumency help because they remembered snippets of conversations that they hoped might be useful in finding the boys.

From the accounts (from someone who once acted as Neville's secretary and another person who was the liaison with the Ministry), it became clear that Mother Lyca knew someone in the Ministry. She had been lurking in the background of the meeting Severus, Daryl, and Neville had scheduled to set up the Wolfsbane distribution and funding.

That was the first day that Severus had revealed himself as alive to anyone outside of Hogwarts or the pack. There had been much said about that, including how I saved Severus' life, which led to a discussion of how I would soon be Alpha of the pack they were in. Someone must have taken note of this, and passed it on.

I had been right about Severus being the catalyst for the attacks, much to his chagrin.

But those people weren't the only ones struggling with their memories for our sake. One of Daryl's Greyback packmates, Ernest Hall, remembered Mother Lyca muttering at the edge of their home area right before Voldemort's last rise. She has been complaining that "Her mate Fenrir was ignoring her. That she could help with the pack if only she was allowed." Daryl had commented on this report that Greyback had never had a mate. The Alpha had boasted about his independence, about not being tied down by someone weak and foolish.

Severus realized rather quickly that our packmates' recollections could be important, so they were sent to Kingsley as soon as they were revealed. I was reading a copy of the exact words sent to the Aurors.

The Aurors had read the reports in the early morning. So by the time we sat down to breakfast, Kingsley had reported back that they questioned all the people in the Ministry who were in charge of magical creatures. They had tracked a clerk to Mother Lyca. Ron and Hermione were currently searching the clerk's home for any signs of her or the boys.

When I finished reading the scrolls, I stood up and faced the ten pack members who were puttering and planning in the cottage kitchen. "Thank you," I said quietly but sincerely. "Thank you for helping us."

"You helped us even before you knew us, Alpha." Ernest replied with a bow towards me. "How could we not try for you when you were in need?"

We both expressed our appreciation profusely. But neither Neville or I could wallow in our pain. It would do us no good. Nor would it help us find the boys. So we decided that we should spend the rest of the day in the community centre with all the others preparing for the full moon. The Aurors had appointed someone to look out for the boys' possible return so we would know if we needed to return home.

At the centre, during the hours before moonrise, I was regaled with the stories of the people I watched over. The month before, we had all been cautious. The pack had not been sure that I would live up to my reputation. I had been too overwhelmed to do more than connect names, faces, and basic identities for most of them. 

That day, everyone shared of themselves. Most of them told about how they had become lycan and why they joined the pack (the lack of fear among the members was a recurring theme). They also gave information about what they contributed to the pack (or for those who were newer, what they'd like to contribute). It seemed that many had never shared these stories, not even with each other. Everyone seemed to be listening raptly. 

It was good for all of us.

Then something changed. After the first hour, the applause in the lunchroom seemed to double. Startled, I looked around. Surrounding our circle of chairs were some very familiar figures in teaching robes. Hogwarts robes.

As I scanned my colleagues' faces, each nodded at me. Some held out their hands in a gesture of giving...until I got to Minerva McGonagall. 

She smiled at me and held up a card, one that was very familiar to me. It was a purple collector's card from the package of chocolate frogs. I gasped when I saw the picture that moved into the frame. My own image turned and calmly gazed back at me. After a moment, a small pack moon sign appeared at my elbow on the card.

Once she knew I had seen the picture, Minerva spoke. "We felt we needed to be here to give you and your people some help during this time. Flitwick and Sybill have gone to give what aid they can to Kingsley's search for your children, as they are the most qualified. The rest of us are here to help you and your pack remain safe this moon, and later we'd like help you give them the education they were denied when they were 11."

With her words, the rest of the professors held up the chocolate frog cards that they had been keeping in their pockets, every one of them holding my image and the sign of my pack.

The pack, including Neville, Severus, and Daryl, looked shocked. I felt as nonplussed as the rest. Minerva had to be joking.

But then, Grady, the new Hogwarts Potions Master, came up to Severus and me with a proposed schedule of when each professor could be at the community center for a class. "Look this over in the next week, and we'll make changes as needed. Severus, I brought all the ache salve I could make in the past two days. You'll have to tell me if we need more, and if it's strong enough."

That was enough to shake Neville and me into action. We couldn't do much for our own children at the moment. But we could help those who were helping us. So I introduced pack members to the professors who could be most help in their pre-full moon tasks. Then everyone went to work. 

By dusk, I was feeling up to leading the pack to the field, head held high. I was my pack's Alpha and I would take care of them. Daryl volunteered to take care of Claire Cavendish's transformation, as he had learned the spell to help her. But I shook my head. This was something that the Cavendishs trusted to me. I would make sure the child made it through moonrise.

So I led the pack inside the warded field while Minerva and Neville stationed people on the outside to guard our enclosure. Once again, someone set up a small area for me to see to Claire right by the entrance. But this time it was surrounded by an invisible ward, isolating it from the rest of the field until I released the boundary.

I watched as my pack made it safely into the enclosure, then was distracted as Claire started whimpering on my lap. I could see some white fur peeking out on her shoulders this time, but her tiny body still could not hold enough magic to complete the transformation. So I whispered the charm to give her some of my magic and watched her blue eyes turn completely amber as the transformation began in earnest.

I had just put her down on the ground on her four paws when I heard a frantic yell from outside the enclosure. "Daddy! Barry's wolf wants to bite me!"


	26. Chapter 26

Once I heard Teddy yell, I quickly broke the ward to send Claire into the main enclosure towards Sophie. When the toddler was safe, I set up the small enclosure again quickly. I needed a place to put Barry, away from the others. I didn't know how agitated his wolf was. Agitated feral wolves sometimes kill or maim their own kind.

As soon as that was done, I rushed outside to get my children.

Not paying attention to my nakedness or the shouts of the humans surrounding me, I looked around frantically. I spotted Mother Lyca, with a smug grin on her face, being held off from me by Minerva. My body relaxed a little when I realized that she was out of the way.

In my worry, that was my only thought concerning her. I should have paid more attention to her grin.

But I was preoccupied with my family. I saw a blur, and smelled my mate, so I rushed behind him as he grabbed Teddy away from Barry's snapping jaws. I grabbed Barry and held him tightly, away from the humans, as I rushed to the wolves' enclosure. I was able to ward him into Claire's area before my transformation finally took hold. But I was still outside the enclosure.

When I became aware of my surroundings again, Mother Lyca was yelling at my mate. She had gotten away from the Headmistress and was trying to pull Teddy away from Neville. "I brought him here to teach him to be a lycan. He will be my Beta once he is older."

Neville turned to protect my son because Teddy screamed when the woman touched him. "Stay away from our children!" my mate shouted.

Trying to give Neville a chance to get away from her, I snapped at her feet.

She kicked at me and yelled, "Why are you leading this pack? You have no strength, no power! The wolves deserve better than you. They shouldn't have to be confined. Let them run free!"

"And kill innocent people, as you have?" Neville yelled back after getting far enough away to hand Teddy to Harry. The Aurors had followed Mother Lyca here. They had wands at the ready, but hadn't wanted to hex her when she was so close to Teddy.

Glaring at the assembled people, Mother Lyca smiled evilly and cast a boundary spell that enclosed her, Neville and myself. Severus and Kingsley immediately tried to break the boundary, but to no avail.

Cackling, she turned back to us, "They weren't innocent. They were corrupting the children." Then she lunged at Neville with her wand and cast under her breath. He countered with a hex. But her spells were too strong.

I couldn't just sit on my haunches and watch. Especially not when Daryl said he could cast in wolf form. So I concentrated hard. Just as I saw her form the sound "Cr--", I was able to cast a spell to push her away from my mate. That gave Neville time to gather himself and throw another hex her way. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to even sway her.

A moment later, she pointed her wand directly at me and said, "Educ foras lupum."

Suddenly, I felt Moony rear inside me, even though I had a full set of Wolfsbane doses. Temporarily, I lost control, and Moony snapped at the humans surrounding us. They backed away quickly as they realized something was wrong. I struggled to get Moony back in control. The spell had released him from the Wolfsbane confines. 

Mother Lyca taunted Moony. She hit me with hexes to make me burn, itch, and make Moony want to bite at her. Exactly as she wished.

Although Neville tried to bind her or hex her unconscious, she threw these spells off easily.

But Severus realized we could hear them through the boundary ward when Mother Lyca turned at a shout from Ron. So he taunted her to try to distract her. "No wonder you believe that foolishness about being bitten by a Born Alpha. You aren't capable of being that giving yourself. I heard you've been poisoning the wolves' potions for years. You have been jeopardizing all our lives so that you can try to command a bunch of children. Because adults would see you for the fool you are. *Greyback* saw you for the fool you are."

At that, the woman became angry and lunged at Severus. Given that she made the boundary ward, she could cast through it. She must have hit him with Crucio, because I heard Daryl yelp from inside the enclosure when the magic hit Severus. But the potions master's face never changed.

Severus was one of the few of us who knew how to handle that curse. Voldemort had thrown more than one of them at him during his time as a Death Eater. So he took a moment to endure the pain, then countered with what I swore was the same curse. He whispered the word so that it wouldn't be heard. I understood his caution, though I doubt anyone blamed him for using it...or would tell the Ministry.

But he had forgotten about the boundary ward. The spell hit the barrier and stopped abruptly. The flash against the ward made Mother Lyca pause for a moment. But then, she turned to Neville, pointed her wand, and shouted "Crucio!"

Neville's groan of pain had both sides of me seeing red. But because of the spell she had thrown at me, Moony was harder to control. I struggled to not bite at her. I couldn't bite at her. I didn't want her to be a werewolf!

I could feel Moony agree with me. That woman didn't deserve to be one of us...but he wanted to attack her. He wanted to eliminate her.

He wanted to kill.

I had promised myself a long time ago, before Moony attacked Severus, that I would not kill in wolf form, nor make another werewolf. So I continued my struggle to keep myself from snapping my jaws at her.

But then she threw another curse at Neville. This time he screamed.

That sound made me lose control of my wolf.

Before I could stop him, Moony took a running leap at Mother Lyca. But as he had saved us three years ago, Neville intervened again. He threw himself at Mother Lyca before Moony could get to her.

But Moony's jaws were still snapping and heading towards them. 

In the next second, I found myself pulling my canine teeth out of Neville's arm with a whimper. Blood gushed over his arm in their wake.

Luckily, when I hit them, I somehow knocked Mother Lyca unconscious, and into the ward. Her fall broke the boundary.

This meant that a moment later, the humans who had tried to protect us were finally able to reach us. 

Mother Lyca was finally bound and handed off to the Aurors. Neville was gently but swiftly led to Madame Pomfrey.

I shuddered as I watched the medi-witch bandage my mate's arms. I wanted to stay to watch over him. But a moment later, for everyone's safety, I was led by Severus to the isolated part of the enclosure. I could hear Barry whining inside. He could feel that his Alpha was troubled. It disturbed him, even though he didn't know why.

But just before I entered the wards guarding the enclosure, a warm hand laid itself on the back of my head, and a figure knelt next to me.

"I look forward to joining you right here next month," my mate whispered in my ear. Then he kissed me on top of my head and backed away.

I went into the enclosure with a much lighter heart.


	27. Chapter 27

**Epilogue**

The next month passed swiftly and rather chaotically.

Mother Lyca, aka. Lorena Dolor, was officially arrested by the Ministry, after Kingsley's unofficial investigation. A number of the werewolves and half the Hogwarts' faculty were called before the Wizengamot to testify in her trial. That meant that the majority of their prohibitions against known werewolves being in the Ministry buildings had to be dropped.

Because they couldn't not try Ms. Dolor for her crimes. Kingsley had found out that in addition to her harm to my people, she had attempted to kidnap both Muggle and Wizard children in order to bring them to a feral werewolf during the full moon. Both the Prophet and the Quibbler ran that as front page news.

She was rather swiftly sentenced to an indefinite number of years in Azkaban. Kingsley reassured me that the indefinite number meant that my children would be grown before she saw the outside of the prison. I hoped that would be long enough to find a way to make us less vulnerable to people like her.

So the pack, especially Neville and I, became heroes. We became respected. We were given gifts on the street, and our hands were shaken. We were asked if we needed help preparing for the next moon. And our pack sign was everywhere we looked. In store windows, as necklaces around humans' necks, even on people's front doors, as if they were saying we were welcome there.

All of us were shocked that we could now wear our pack signs like a badges of honor, simply because I had taken down that awful woman in wolf form. We knew it couldn't last, but many took advantage of the attitude change to make new friends, get jobs, and even find a date or two.

We were also able to get the Ministry to rescind the laws discriminating against werewolves. Every werewolf in Britain breathed a sigh of relief when they were gone, and many resolved to work with the Ministry to keep them from coming back.

Closer to home, things were more difficult.

Teddy had been so scared by Barry's wolf that he had begun to avoid his new brother. Although Neville and I attempted to reassure him by saying the wolf wouldn't be back until the full moon came again (even at 3, he understood that full moons made Daddy turn into a wolf), he still looked at Barry with fear.

So we let Teddy spend more time next door with Stevie, and we gave Barry a lot of reassurance that he would soon have his brother back.

But it wasn't until Barry's official welcome into the pack that things began to change. New wolves were often given small gifts from the highest ranking leader present at their welcome. But since Barry was the child of the Alpha, it fell to the Beta to give the gift.

The gift wasn't small.

After I had given a small stuffed white wolf to Claire Cavendish, Severus pulled the biggest Lego set I had ever seen out of his robes and set it in front of Barry.

The box was nearly as tall as the child. Curious, I moved closer to examine it. The picture on the front was of a somewhat familiar grey...spaceship? I seemed to remember something like it in a movie Sirius, James and I saw when we sneaked out of Hogwarts and into a muggle town a couple miles from Hogsmeade because Sirius wouldn't stop talking about it until we went.

Barry looked at the box in awe, and was afraid to approach it until Stevie offered to help him build the set. A minute later, both boys started digging into the box. When they did, I saw a flash of metal-grey hair shoot past me towards the box. Then Teddy was asking his brother hesitantly if he could help too.

So matters began to start to calm down until the next full moon. The community center became a place of learning as the adult wolves from all packs who had been refused magical education signed up for classes being taught by the Hogwarts professors. I was amazed to find that all of the classes had at least 10 students within a week of them being put on the calendar.

Neville chuckled and hugged me when I stood in shock in front of the signup sheet for my adult DADA class. I had 50 students.

Severus and I also started teaching Defense against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. We found that we worked well in tandem. We each chose to teach the subjects we knew more about. I would teach about dark magical creatures, protection spells, and specific defenses. Severus, of course, would teach about dark curses, prophecy, and charms that work against potions. But he also insisted on teaching the lesson on werewolves with me present as an example, because I "do not give enough credit to who and what you are." I reluctantly agreed, but insisted that we invite some of the pack to the lesson to show the students a variety of people who could be lycanthropes.

I was so distracted by my preparations for the beginning of the school year that I didn't realize my mate was also on the faculty until Headmistress McGonagall announced it. Neville smiled sheepishly at me as he sat next to me for our first breakfast at the faculty table. "Ponoma needed an apprentice," he whispered to me. "And since Sophie wanted to start a nursery school, I thought it would be a great opportunity for all of us."

I just smiled, once again amazed and very proud of the man I loved.

I was even more proud of him the night of the next full moon.

This moon, Daryl insisted on helping Claire with her transformation and watching over the pack, because I would be concentrating on my mate, who the others were already calling Alpha Nev.

The first time someone called him that, Neville blushed profusely and insisted that he'd never try to usurp me. I didn't even try to look annoyed. I just kissed him and told him if the pack had two Alphas, we could keep each other in line.

By the time the full moon came, he had calmed and understood that I wanted and needed him to help me, as he had when I didn't know I had a pack. He was then able to greet our packmates with a smile as we all left the community centre and moved out to our full moon enclosure.

We both held Barry's hands as we walked to the field. But once we all undressed, I handed Barry off to Sophie, who promised to watch over him for the night.

Then I took Neville to a space that was set up just for us.

I was on Wolfsbane that night, but Neville was not. The pack had learned that it was best to check for complications in the transformation of a newly made wolf before administering the potion. So I was there to both reassure him and be the one to call for help if needed.

I led Neville over to the boulder placed there for us. I held his shaking hands between mine. "It will be ok, love. I'll be with you the whole time."

"My wolf better be respectful of his Alpha," Neville muttered as he looked up and watched the moon start to make its rise.

"Your wolf will know his mate." I whispered before I kissed him, then backed away, giving us both room to transform.

Neville changed first. I watched carefully to make sure every limb stretched and snapped back as it should. Surprisingly, I heard him whisper something right as the transformation started to take hold. 

"Educ foras humani."

A few moments later, there was a beautiful chestnut-colored wolf standing before me.

Before I could do more than process the words and the sight of his stunning wolf, my own transformation took hold. When I was aware again, I found the chestnut wolf nuzzling me, as I expected. I nuzzled back gently. Then I rose to my feet and nudged the door into the main enclosure, so I could introduce him to the pack.

When he followed me out of our space, the pack howled in celebration. Tails wagged in every direction and some lowered their heads to the ground to show their submission to us both. So I took my mate around to each of them. He was hesitant, but followed my lead when I touched each of our packmates in acknowledgement of their respect.

Lastly, I took him to where Stevie, Barry and Claire were playing together. Barry's wolf must have recognized Neville's, because he came straight over and playfully jumped at him. The other two hung back until we both laid on the ground. Then the three of them were climbing all over us.

We spent some time with them, and then with Daryl as he patrolled the enclosure. But towards the end of the night, Neville's wolf nudged me back into the space we transformed in.

Guessing that the commotion wore him out, I went without hesitation and laid on the ground in front of the boulder.

At that moment, I swore I saw the wolf's eyes turn from amber to Neville's green. His head turned sharply towards the door leading to the pack before he settled next to me.

A few minutes later, I heard Daryl nudge the door to check on us, but it didn't move. I looked curiously at the wolf by my side. Had he somehow warded or locked the door? That had to be impossible. 

But that door didn't open the rest of the night.

The next morning, I woke after my transformation to find a very smug Neville Longbottom in my arms.

One glance at his face told me that the door to our space had indeed been locked. So I asked, "What did you do last night?"

"I brought forth my human side with the spell that woman used to bring Moony out in you last month. I figured if it worked and I could cast a spell, we might be able to use it for those who can't take Wolfsbane." My mate smiled and kissed me softly before pulling me to my feet. "We have to tell Daryl and Severus."

"After we get you something to eat. All that scheming must work up an appetite." I grinned in return.

Then we went to gather our clothes and our boys. 

Even though it confused most of the others, I didn't mind that the smug look stayed on Neville's face throughout our breakfast and his report to the other pack leads.

Because I loved the fact that my mate was prone to unexpected glorious victories, and that we could share them with those who wore the sign of our pack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, everyone who followed along. Knowing someone was paying attention helped me tell the story.  
> The edit of The Wolf's Garden is finished as of May 31, 2018.  
> This fic is officially cleaned up as of June 5th.  
> I have another RL/NL idea I want to explore. I hope it comes to me as easily as this one did.


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